Backward Glances
by SabreMaiden
Summary: A look at the lives the Marauders led when they were young. But, of course, they weren't the only ones at Hogwarts! What about Evans, Snive-'scuse me-Snape, and their respective groups of friends?
1. King's Cross

_Author's Note: Consider this my 'debut' here on fanfiction if you will. I'm really interested in what you all have to say, and whether or not you think I should continue._

_But I do feel as though I should warn you that I tried a little bit different style with this piece as I tried to get all of those I consider to be more 'key' characters in my story out into the public eye. It should settle down pretty quick (but I'm going to try not to put all of my attention on the Marauders, handsome as they all are…except Peter…but I'm just going to have to find something that I like about him, aren't I?)._

_Oh…and I'm sorry that this note was kind of rambling…and that Mrs. Prewett said 'dear' thirteen times…I just couldn't help __myself._

_--_

"Now James, be good, and…listen to your mother," Mr. Potter grinned and ruffled his only son's untidy black hair before he stepped back to allow his wife the chance to say goodbye to him as well.

"Really Matthew!" Mrs. Potter chided as she descended upon James with a black comb, attempting to beat his hair into place. Unconscious of James groans and splutters of pain and indignation, she raked the torturous instrument across his scalp determined to make her boy look his best on his first day.

"Mum!" James cried out as he pulled free of his mother's clutches and attempted to hold his trunk up as a shield against her.

"Oh alright!" his mother sighed in mock hopelessness as she thrust the comb back into her rather large paisley red handbag. "I hope you can forgive me for wanting my son to look his very best on his first day of school."

She faked a small sob and James sighed, rolling his eyes as he set the trunk back down on the ground again, wrapping his mother in a firm embrace. "Honestly Mum, when has my hair _ever_ behaved itself?"

"You know, Tilda that is a very good point. He's got hair just like my brother Harold, never has lain flat a day in his life."

"Oh Jamsie!" His mother clung desperately to him as he began to backtrack toward the barrier that separated platform 9 and ¾'s from the rest of the muggle station and sighed, motioning to his father to bring along his trunk as he practically carried his distraught mother through the barrier his father had pointed out to him on their outing the previous weekend.

Shaking his head and chuckling to himself, Mr. Potter hefted his son's trunk up and followed his wife and son through the barrier. "He's lucky Tilda's so short," he 

muttered with a small hoot of laughter as he shut his eyes against the bizarre cold of the barrier.

Just as Mr. Potter disappeared through the barrier, a sort of darkness seemed to descend upon the far side of the station, near the entrance. Several well-dressed people had just entered the station, their attire consisting mainly of something many of the middle-aged vacationing muggles defined as 'flashy': Elegant coats and well tailored dresses for the ladies, their children were no less smashingly clad-although in an altogether different style.

The three girls, all tall for their age, were showcasing tightly fit blouses and miniskirts (the one black haired beauty's was just a little too short for her mother's liking and a nearby muggle teen who clicked his tongue appreciatively suddenly developed a startling need to use the necessary.)

Bellatrix Black rolled her eyes and stared haughtily up at her mother. "Was that completely necessary, Mother?" she asked, her long lashes descending over her hooded grey eyes.

"My dear if your skirt was of a more appropriate length, this wouldn't be an issue-"

"My skirt is perfectly fine, Mother," she snapped and stalked away, the high heels on her boots clicking in something of a menacing way as she disappeared around the corner.

"Oh Bella wait!" Her older sister called, blonde curls bouncing across her delicate frame as she set off as speedily as she could manage (and still retain what she believed to be a graceful gait).. "I'll fetch her back, Mother," she added reassuringly as she too disappeared around the corner, the sounds of their heels still echoing about the lobby.

"Ugh! Will you both get back here?" The tallest of the three set off after her older sister, blue sash whipping around the corner after her.

"Tsch, girls." A dark haired boy muttered, crossing his arms and slouching off at the tail end of the family down the same corridor that his two older cousins had disappeared down.

"Now Sirius, don't be so hard on your cousins, they're going through a tough time you know what with starting N.E.W.T classes this year," his mother cooed.

"Listen to your mother, son, maybe you can help them study once you've settled in. I'm sure that Trixie and Cissy will have you familiarized with the castle in no time," his father added.

"Now really Ri, you know they hate it when you call them that!" his Aunt said stonily from behind him.

"Yes well I never liked my nickname either…but I'm the Uncle…I get to call them whatever I want."

Mrs. Black twittered and looped her arm inside her husband's while Sirius shared a disgusted look with the smaller boy who was practically running to catch up with the long-legged strides of the Black family.

Once the boy even tripped over the coattails of the ridiculous outfit their mother had stuffed him in, but Sirius caught him swiftly and put him to rights, thankful that he had not allowed her to put him in anything like _that_ on his first day at Hogwarts.

"Thanks Sirius," his younger brother said, grinning as he panted, almost running again to keep up with his family.

"Anytime, Reg," he said, his face brightening a bit. At least his younger brother knew how he felt.

"Well," his mother began as they pulled up short in front of a brick wall that separated Platforms 9 and 10. "It would appear that the girls have already gone ahead without us."

"No matter. We sent Kreacher ahead with your things so they should be at Hogwarts by now. Pure blood still counts for something in this lamentable world we live in today. Now then, Sirius why don't you and I go through the barrier first and then Regulus can follow with your mother? I trust your Aunt will not mind escorting herself across?"

The woman sighed, inspecting her fingernails as she retorted, "I suppose not, Orion, if I must."

"Come Sirius!" And before the boy could say 'shrivelfig' his father's hand had closed upon his upper arm and they had marched straight into the barrier.

As the last of the Blacks disappeared through the barrier, Mrs. Lupin made a tutting sound and put a hand lightly on her son's arm. "Now don't you let people like that intimidate you, Remus. Fancy clothes and pureblood don't mean anything at Hogwarts. Or...well…" Mrs. Lupin sighed and looked over at her husband for assistance.

"What your mother means to say is-"

"I know Father," Remus Lupin whispered, lifting a pale and scarred hand to brush his light brown locks back out of his blue eyes. "I shan't allow myself to get coerced into 

saying anything about…you-know-what," his face took on a drawn and pained look and Mrs. Lupin thrust a small corner of her kerchief into her mouth to keep from saying something.

Instead, her hand tightened on his shoulder and he smiled. The Remus Lupin she loved most to see was back, even if it was only a show he put on for her to mask his true feelings on occasion. The fact that he could smile at all made her feel just that much better about his…condition.

"Don't worry Mother. I trust the Headmaster to protect me from everyone and…vice versa. I'm sure that everything will be alright."

Though as he knelt to reclaim his possessions, his face did not show any of those things whatsoever; it showed a young boy who had been forced to grow up well before his time, a young boy who was very, very afraid.

"Well," his father muttered as a way to break the silence that had grown up around them. "I'm sure you'll be just fine, son. You are quite meticulously careful, after all. Just-just don't let your-" The grin slipped a little from his face and he wrapped an arm around his son as Remus stood. "Try to make friends, alright?"

"Yes Father," he whispered tonelessly as he straightened, dragging his father's old school trunk through the barrier that was before them.

"Oh I hope he'll be alright," Mrs. Lupin whispered into her husband's shoulder as she let go of a few tears.

"He'll be fine, Vera. Stop worrying," Mr. Lupin replied, patting her reassuringly on the back as he started for the barrier, thoroughly hoping for the best.

"Come on Mom! Ms. Hopkirk said that it was this way! Right he-" The small red-headed girl stopped dead in front of the brick wall that separated the two platforms-she'd just missed the Lupins disappearing through it.

"Maybe you're too much of a freak for them to even let in," a voice said scathingly from behind the red-head's parents.

"Really Petunia!"

"No Mom, it's OK. She's just jealous after all."

"Jealous, ha! Why would I be jealous of a _freeeeeeak_?" Petunia taunted her sister singsongingly.

"Now Petunia, this is Lily's special day. We're supposed to be supportive not…not doing whatever it is that you're doing." Mrs. Evans was at a loss for words, her daughters had never been on uneven terms that she could recall. Well…not since before that Snape boy had shown up anyhow.

"Really Mom, it's fine. I don't need you defending me from my own sister," Lily answered back with a reproaching glance at her sister. "Now if I could only remember what Ms. Hopkirk said about getting onto the platform…" she started, turning back to contemplate the apparently solid brick wall before her.

"First time getting on the train?"

Lily looked up, surprised to see a girl who was almost two whole inches shorter than she was! But her round face and bright blue eyes were kind and Lily nodded. "Yeah, no idea how to get past this barrier thing…or even where it is, really."

The other girl laughed. "Well you're standing right in front of it silly! Of course," she leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "I only know where it is because my older sister Molly went when I was little," she giggled and straightened. "Of course, that was ages ago now…she's with some Weasel-king somebody-or-other off doing who knows what!"

"It's Weasley, Alice dear. Arthur Weasley and he's a very nice boy." Mrs. Alice's Mother was just as kind and round as Alice herself…perhaps rounder…and most certainly taller, though, Lily noted, not by much. "Oh now Alice dear, you simply must introduce me to your new friend!"

Lily gasped in surprise as her pale cheeks were subjected to a quaint round of pinching by Alice's mother who exclaimed, "My goodness, dear, you're skin and bones! Where are your parents? They can't be feeding you properly at all!"

Mr. Evans coughed politely behind the delightfully round woman who turned around almost immediately, a kind smile quickly blossoming on her face as she surveyed them with interest. "Oh look, muggles! Archie, dear, aren't they just adorable?"

Mr. Evans did not look exactly thrilled to be called adorable, but the term muggle still was taking some getting used to though he was trying to be patient around the magic-folk seeing as his daughter was one of them now.

"I prefer the term _normal_," came the small voice of Petunia and Mr. and Mrs. Evans faces reddened as the smile slipped a fraction from the woman's face.

"Forgive her, madam. She and Lily are quite close, you see, and it's taking Petunia here some time to adjust."

The smile returned on her face and she nodded, patting Mr. Evans more than a bit strongly on the shoulder in an attempt to be reassuring. "Oh yes of course, dear I understand perfectly. My boys-Fabian and Gideon-were thick as thieves growing up but darling Fabian was a year older than his brother and their separation was simply _terrible_. I almost didn't let Gid come, poor dear. Of course Alice wouldn't remember any of that, would you, sweetheart?"

Alice merely smiled and shook her head, which satisfied her mother who returned her attentions to relaying all sorts of details about her elder children's' lives at Hogwarts.

Snippets of "Oh she'll love it!" came flying into their conversation as the two girls began chattering about school and the sorting.

"Sorry about my mum," Alice muttered as she watched her mother finally release Mr. Evans and decide to head towards them-and the barrier.

"No problem, Alice-isn't it?"

Alice nodded; grinning at the girl, pleasantly surprised that she'd caught it in all of her mother's animated waffle. "Yes, Alice Prewett."

"Well I'm pleased to meet you, Ms. Prewett," Lily stated formally. "I'm Lily, Lily Evans."

"Please, call me Alice."

"Call me Lily?"

"Certainly."

Amid a cacophony of giggles, the two girls headed through the barrier, arm in arm, with Alice coaching instructions as they went. "Now it's a little better to do it at a run, Lily dear…so perhaps we should drop arms now."

"Alright. See you on the other side!"

And in a flash of red and brown, they both disappeared.

"Ah! Uh Mrs.…ah…"

"Prewett, dear."

"Mrs. Prewett," Mr. Evans tried to keep his panic to a minimum as his wife clutched his arm chanting his name. "Where exactly has my daughter gone?"

"George…._George!"_

Mrs. Prewett turned around and positively shrieked with laughter. "Oh Archie, isn't that just charming? My dear Mr.-?"

"Evans," Mr. Evans replied shortly, his eyes fixed on the brick wall before him.

"Ah, Evans. That's a nice name, isn't it Archie? Anywho, your daughter's gone through the barrier with my dear little Alice." She looked down and spotted the trunks lying on the ground. "Oh and they've forgotten their things already, little darlings. Archie if you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all dearest," the thickset man grunted, bending down to collect his own daughter's possessions and Lily's, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Evans rather shell-shocked.

"_Through_ the barrier? But we don't even know where the thing is!"

Mr. Prewett cut across his wife's squeal of 'Archie, how precious!' to say, "It's that brick wall that divides the two platforms. You just step right on through it." He smiled warmly at the looks of apprehension on their faces. "Don't worry-it's really quite enjoyable. You do experience a slight tingling sensation that's really top-notch."

The man ran a hand through his thinning hair and smiled nervously. "Well I'll just be taking these then. I'm sure that Esme will be more than happy to see the rest of you through."

Mrs. Prewett waved the hand that held her enormous black handbag, shaking the contents at her husband in farewell. "See you in a tick, Archie dear! Now George-" she turned toward the Evansies, a business-like gleam in her eyes. "If you and your lovely daughter, Petunia isn't it, dear? If you two wouldn't mind going through the barrier first…best do it at a bit of a run if you aren't sure. Not everyone likes the tingly feeling as much as Archie does," she added softly to Mrs. Evans who was suddenly overcome with a fit of laughter which she endeavored to hide in her handkerchief and missed her husband and daughter disappearing into the bricks.

As soon as she realized they were gone however, she sobered up immediately.

"Oh they're fine, dear. Perhaps you'd better go in front of me though. I'm not sure we'd make it going together," she added, blue eyes twinkling as she patted her ample bosom.

Not wanting to offend, Mrs. Evans merely nodded and began to walk purposefully toward the brick wall that had swallowed the rest of her family.

"That's the ticket! Straight on to the other side, there's a dear."

As Mrs. Evans disappeared, Mrs. Prewett checked to be sure they hadn't left anything behind and slipped through the barrier as easy as butter.

"You know dear," an aging woman and a small, yet slightly rounded boy rounded the corner. The woman continued speaking as they walked slowly along. "We're rather lucky that the other two trains were out of service today; ordinarily this station is so crowded that-Peter? Are you coming?"  
The boy was shaken from his thoughtful daze at his mother's call and smiled. "Coming Mother!"

Mrs. Pettigrew nodded and continued down the corridor-headed for Platform 9 and ¾ s. "As I was saying, we're lucky that it isn't too crowded-I don't know that my nerves could take all that rushing about that young people get up to these days. Everyone seems to be in such a hu-Oh, we're here already?"

Mrs. Pettigrew seemed surprised and almost a little bit disappointed by this. "Well, run along Peter."

With a tiny nod, the boy squared his shoulders and rushed at the barrier, his face screwed up tight as he tried not to open his eyes before he got to the other side.

Mrs. Pettigrew quickly followed her son through, dreading the crowd that almost certainly awaited them on the other side.

"For Heaven's Sake, Severus, what-are-you-looking-for?" Eileen Snape was practically dragging her son along the corridor.

But as hard as she was pulling, Severus was doing his best to dig in his heels, grey eyes darting around the station eagerly, scanning it for signs of something-or someone.

"I'm trying to-OW!"

"ENOUGH!" his mother shouted over his howls of pain, thin, bony fingers clamped about her son's left ear lobe. Aware of the growing stares, Mrs. Snape heaved an angry groan and began dragging both her son and his battered school trunk through the barrier.


	2. Fond' Farewells

_Author's Note: _

_A big thank-you to everyone who's read my story so far!_

_--_

As James emerged onto the platform, he opened his eyes quickly. He didn't want his mother seeing that he had been even the tiniest bit nervous about walking into a brick wall.

But what he saw when he opened his warm hazel eyes was enough to take his breath away; a great scarlet engine was warming up on the polished rails, trails of steam billowing gently outwards and upwards from the top of the stack. The platform itself was bustling with people of all different sizes, and ages, James noticed as he watched a pair of siblings embracing near the train-one was obviously too young to attend Hogwarts.

Sometimes, James Potter wished that he'd had a younger sibling…or any siblings at all really. But his parents, as much as he loved him, weren't exactly young and he didn't doubt that he hadn't been something of a surprise. But as he compared his shiny new trunk to the battered and beaten old relics of some of his future classmates, James reminded himself that being an only child _did_ have its' perks.

A sudden, harsh, blow from behind nearly sent him toppling to the wooden boards below him and as his father put a hand on his shoulder to steady him, James caught a mane of dark hair and a miniskirt that was just too short.

Making a face, James called out, "Oy watch where you're going!"

The girl turned, searching behind her with her hooded eyes, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had almost knocked the small first year to the ground. Dropping her gaze on a whim, her eyes settled on him and her thin lips pulled together in a tight smirk. "Oh didn't you just run into me?" she asked, innocently. "Maybe you should watch where you're going next time," she hissed acidly and resumed stalking toward the train.

James' face turned red with indignation. Who did she think she was? After all he'd just been standing right here minding his own business and she had to come traipsing through like someone had-had threatened to bomb the station! Ridiculous! "Hey, hang on! _You_ hit _me!"_

"Oh can it, shrimp," a tall blonde muttered rudely as she headed off in pursuit of the other girl, her leg smacking into his trunk. Wincing in pain, she still managed to limp rather speedily after her sister. "_Bel-la!_ Wait would you?"

James stamped his foot angrily and grumbled about a ding on his new trunk. "And I'm not that short!" he called, though the two girls had already long disappeared into the crowd. He turned beseechingly back to his parents, "I'm not am I?"

"Oh of course not dear, you just…just haven't hit your growth spurt is all," his mother said reassuringly, shooting a glance at Mr. Potter who nodded obligingly.

"Sorry about them," a voice whispered from somewhere in the airspace above his left ear.

He turned to see a girl who was almost an exact copy of the first girl that had hit him. "You!" He pointed a finger accusingly at her and then noticed a few key differences. One being that she, at least, hadn't tried to damage his person, or his belongings…and was actually apologizing. Oh….whoops. James blushed and tried to correct his error by mumbling. "S'not a problem."

The tall girl laughed and knelt to straighten his trunk. "Everyone usually gets us mixed up the first time. But don't worry; it won't be nearly as difficult when we're at school." She cast a nervous look in the direction her sisters had disappeared to and added, "I'm in Ravenclaw."

The happy expression slid hastily off her face as something blocked the sun that had been stroking his own and James was suddenly aware of several, also oddly tall, people that had gathered around them and his new…friend?...had quickly risen, smoothing out her skirt, eyes downcast.

"Andromeda…where are your sisters?"

She lifted her eyes and scanned the faces before her for any sort of warmth or recognition and then looked again toward the floor. Lifting a slightly trembling hand she pointed behind her. "That way, Mother."

"Ugh, can't even keep track of two silly little girls? What good are you?" the woman demanded irritably before she and the rest of the family moved off in the direction her daughter had pointed. Only one hesitated-a small boy who was a scant three or so inches taller than James and he looked nervously up at his cousin before flashing her an encouraging smile.

"Don't listen to them, 'Dromeda. They aren't worth it."

Coming out of the mouth of a boy 5 years her junior made her laugh. How was it that he could say these things so freely and she found it so difficult to speak her mind amongst members of their oppressive family?

"Of course they aren't Sirius…but they're still my family," she muttered hollowly and departed slowly enough after them that Sirius, despite his being bigger than James, could walk comfortably beside her.

"Mum, who were those people?"

"Those were the Blacks, son. Purebloods, like your mother and I just-a different kind."

"Oh…," James was entirely confused. How many different kinds of pure blood were there anyhow? But he decided that it really wasn't all that important anyways, after all…it didn't affect him, did it?

"That's a bit much for now, George, don't you think?"

"What? Oh quite right, Tilda. Don't worry about it, son. I'm sure you'll understand quite soon enough. Now onto the train with you, James."

"George!"

"What?"

Mrs. Potter smacked him on the arm with her handbag and he winced. "I would like to say goodbye to our son." Within seconds she had wrapped her arms tightly about James and was wailing into his shoulder.

"Mum!"

"Really Matilda, darling, is this necessary?"

"We just…he's _leaving_ George!"

"You'll see him at Christmas, come on."

Mr. Potter succeeded in pulling off a sniffling Mrs. Potter who began drying her eyes with a spotted handkerchief. "Yes, I suppose. We'll write to you every day dear!"

"Tilda, really! How often did your parents write you when you were at school?"

"Oh twice a week then. And we'll be sure to send along some of those cookies of Astrid's that you like so much."

James beamed as he struggled to get his things onboard the train. Their house elf really did make the best sweets. "Thanks Mum!" and with that…the Potter's only son had disappeared onto the train.

"Right well…be a good boy, Remus and do _try_ to make friends, won't you?" The mousy haired boy was being squeezed tightly by his mother as his father gave him some last minute instructions and tender words of advice. "Now I'm sure you'll do just superb on the coursework, so try not to stress about it too much, would you son? And don't forget," he added as the boy's mother released him. "We'll love you no matter what happens there."

Remus Lupin merely nodded and ascended the few short steps up into the train, trunk in tow. "See you at Christmas?" His parents nodded eagerly and the first real smile of the day crept onto the solemn boy's face. School hadn't even started yet and he was already feeling miserable.

"Sirius Black!" Mrs. Black was not amused. She and his father had wanted a word with their eldest son and here he'd run off!

"Coming, Mother!" she heard her son call and shot a glance toward the sound, her lips pursed as she saw him materialize from the rest of the crowd with his middle cousin beside him. Her lip curled in distaste and she reached out a claw to pull her son away from the blood traitor.

Though they still tolerated Andromeda because she was not vocal about her…differences…she was far from liked by most of the family with the exception of Sirius and their Uncle Alphard. Her son just didn't seem to understand that Slytherin was a mark of pride for the Black family and his Uncle was rather old and therefore not completely up-to-date on certain social implications of the actions of certain _members_ of the family.

"Come here, son." Mr. Black motioned to his son to come and stand beside the three of them (Mr. Black, Mrs. Black, and Regulus). "Now then, I want you to behave yourself on your first term, mind your cousins Trixie and Cissy, and _do not_ make friends with filth like the Potters over there," he extended a hand to point to an elderly couple standing on the platform. "Pack of blood traitors if any there ever were. And do not under _any_ circumstances even be seen in the presence of mudbloods." The family collectively shuddered at the thought.

Sirius rolled his eyes and shot a look at Andromeda who smiled sympathetically, her talk with her own father had been similar to this one.

Orion Black pulled his son's face back toward his own. "The Black Family name is everything. Our good face in the wizarding community rests on your shoulders now, Sirius. Do not disappoint me." The last was clearly a threat and Sirius gulped, frozen with his face in his father's hand.

"Go." The word was a command and Sirius hastily collected his things and threw them rather bad temperedly onto the Hogwarts Express, slamming that door behind him. Bloody stupid House of Black; what did they know anyhow?

"Hello!" a voice called brightly and Mr. Black turned around, eyes bulging in his head as he caught sight of the little red-headed girl and her parents who were, it was painfully obvious to the keen eyes of the practicing pureblood fanaticist, muggles.

Mr. Black lifted his eyes to focus on the train and muttered, "The mudblood is talking to me as if she thinks she has the right-"

Sensing dangerous territory, Andromeda descended upon the little first year and steered her back towards her parents. "Hello," she said, blushing. It wasn't really like her to randomly barge in on people, but she knew it would not go well for the little red-head if she'd stayed anywhere near the rest of her family.

"My name is Andromeda. First time then?" she asked the Evansies who nodded, taking in her fine clothing. "My cousin is going to be in his first year at Hogwarts too. Well…" Realizing that the muggles were a bit too overwhelmed to respond, she began backing away. "Well…I hope you have a lovely time," she added to the little girl before she too departed onto the train.

"Well that was…different." Mr. Evans muttered.

"Lily dear, what have we told you about talking to strangers?"

"But Andromeda's not a stranger, Mom…she's Andromeda!"

Mrs. Evans smiled. "Well alright, dear. Just be careful, alright? I know you're friends with that Snape child but just because he's a nice boy doesn't mean that all wizarding children, or their parents for that matter, are going to treat you the same."

At the mention of Snape being a nice boy, Petunia snorted, which the rest of the family chose to ignore.

"I wonder where Sev and Alice got to? I wanted to introduce them to each other," Lily added, a note of depression entering her voice. Suddenly her face brightened. "Oh look!" she cried, pointing. "There's Severus now! Oh dear…his mother doesn't look very happy at all does she?"

"You can meet up with him on the train, Lily."

The red-head nodded and called, "HEY SEV!" The boy jumped and scanned the crowd, smiling when he caught sight of his best friend waving at him. "Meet me on the train?"

"Of course!" he called back and then turned, his smile fading as he looked up at his mother. "Mother can I go?"

Eileen Snape sighed, a small smile descending upon her lined face as she nodded. "Well, go on. And don't get up to any mischief…you know how your father gets."

Severus paled, his father was a drunkard and when he got angry-the boy shivered, remembering the last fight his parents had gotten into. "You…you wouldn't _tell_ him, would you?"

"I can't stop him from opening the mail, dear. Run along."

"Bye Mum!" He called, rushing to the train as it began to chug up a storm.

"Oh dear, Peter we're missing it!" An elderly woman called loudly from the opposite end of the platform as the train. She'd come through the barrier just in time to hear the loud blast of the locomotive's horn as it prepared to leave.

"I know!" Peter Pettigrew squeaked anxiously as he began running, half pulling half dragging the heavy trunk behind him. With another squeal of alarm, he hit the ground, tripping over the hem of school robes that were just a bit too big for him, he went flying, trunk managing to land inside the train door while he fell just short of it.

"Come on then!" an irritated voice growled as two pairs of hands pulled him inside.


	3. Friends and Foes

_Author's Note: I know I've been kind of ignoring some of the scenes that JK Rowling provided for the Platform as a part of The Prince's Tale Chapter of The Deathly Hallows, but I included a small part of the conversation between Lily, Severus, Sirius, and James in their compartment…with my own embellishments. Please note that I do not own Harry Potter._

_--_

Peter Pettigrew found himself inside the train and being pulled roughly to his feet by a tall boy with a slight frown who was standing beside a boy who looked much shorter and whose spiky hair seemed to stand up all around his head like a bizarre halo.

Self-consciously, Peter ran a hand through his own dishwater blonde locks and muttered his thanks as he gathered up his trunk.

"Don't mention it," the taller boy grunted and began slouching off to find himself a compartment.

"Oi!" the boy with the spiky hair rushed after him, smacking his shiny new trunk on the side of the door frame as he passed. "Not another one!" he groaned as he looked at the dent on the side of his trunk. With a sigh, he too departed leaving Peter to find his own compartment.

"Wait up!"

Sirius Black whirled around, an irritated gleam in his grey eyes. If that clumsy oaf he'd just hauled onto the train was following him-well he wasn't about to allow that. So it surprised him when he saw that boy with the ridiculously untidy hair holding out a hand.

"I'm James," he said brightly. "James Potter."

Sirius immediately flashed back to his father's warning about the 'wrong sort' and saw his cousin Bellatrix leaning out of one of the compartments further up the train, wand drawn.

"Sirius Black," he said curtly and turned without accepting the extended hand, swiftly disappearing into another compartment. He was banking on that Potter kid to follow him inside.

Sirius noticed that the compartment was already occupied as he settled into one of the seats, but he didn't care, what mattered at the moment was getting the other boy out of the line of fire.

Not one to disappoint, James entered the compartment two steps behind Sirius. He remembered the boy from the platform and was determined to befriend the other boy whether he thought he needed it or not.

As he stowed his belongings in the luggage rack, a small smile crept over his face as he caught sight of the girl who also occupied their compartment. He liked everything about her; her hair-how it fell down about her shoulders in a brilliant shower of red and gold, her pale skin with its' light dusting of freckles and as she turned her head ever-so-slightly toward him, he could see that she had the most beautiful green eyes.

He felt a slight tug on his sleeve, effectively snapping him out of his happy fantasy. He looked down peevishly to see the source of the disturbance and blinked as he saw Sirius holding out a handkerchief; his anger quickly dissolving into confusion as he stared at it.

"You might want to wipe off the drool, mate," he said softly, grey eyes twinkling as James hastily scrubbed at his mouth, a scarlet tinge creeping onto his cheeks as he sank weakly onto the row of seats opposite his companion.

"Thanks, Sirius."

He held out the damp handkerchief and Sirius laughed, making a face as he waved it away.

"You keep it, James."

The other boy blinked; surprised that Sirius had remembered his name-he had been under the impression that he hadn't been paying all that much attention.

"What?" he growled, away of the look James was shooting him. "I listen," he muttered, crossing his arms and directing his gaze out the window.

In the stony silence that was falling between them, James turned the handkerchief over, examining it closely.

There was no doubt that the fabric was of a fine, high quality, fabric but what interested him more was the crest embroidered in the center of the silk square; two grayish dogs were bearing a large shield between them that was covered in a design of black and white markings. Below this crest was the standard 'Toujours Pur.'

"Oi Sirius, what does 'Toujours Pur' mean?"

"It means get your nose out of it, Potter," Sirius snapped, turning away from him as best he could.

James was taken aback-he'd thought they were coming along on a first name basis and here he'd ruined it…he just wasn't completely clear on how.

"It means 'Always Pure'," a cold voice remarked in a tone that struck James as being quite snobbish.

Searching for the source, he caught sight of a rather greasy haired boy with an unfortunately large nose, who was sitting, surprisingly, beside _his_ girl! Catching the sneer on the other boy's face. James wondered how he had overlooked such a painfully unpleasant person.

"I don't recall asking you," James replied acidly. He was angrier with himself for his apparent alienation of Sirius to care how he came across.

The boy's large nostrils dilated in anger and he opened his mouth to reply but the girl put a hand on his arm and whispered, "Sev, don't. He's not worth it," she added, shooting an angry glance at James who, catching the brilliance of her green eyes full on, was once again sucked into a delightful fantasy.

"Well, alright," Severus muttered, shooting a scathing glance at James. If Lily wanted him to lay off, he'd do it. "So what would you like to talk about?"

"How about the houses? I'm sorry…I know I've asked you at least a hundred times-"

Severus smiled, and shook his head. "I don't mind, really. So the houses," he mused, a thoughtful expression clouding his dark eyes for a moment before he shook himself, mentally, the smile returning. "Well really the only one we need to worry about is Slytherin, seeing as that's where we're headed." At her almost doubtful look, Severus' smile widened encouragingly. "We'll be Slytherins together; it'll be loads of fun!"

The mention of Slytherin shook James out of his fantasy and he looked around sort of dazed. "Who wants to be in Slytherin?" he asked, rather lost. But before anyone could respond, he punched Sirius lightly on the arm and, grinning, said, "I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Sirius turned to face him, a kind of dejected look in his stormy grey eyes. "My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said hollowly.

James jumped back into his seat as if Sirius had burned him. "Blimey!" he said, shaking his head. "And I thought you seemed alright."

This brought a smile to the boy's face, "Well," he said, turning to face James full on. "Maybe I'll break tradition. Where are you headed, provided they give us a chance?"

James thrust his hand in the air as if waving a sword…and accidentally punched the luggage rack. Wincing, he shook his hand and said, "Gryffindor-like my Dad."

Severus scoffed and turned his gaze back to the window a moment too late. James had spotted him and frowned. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," the greasy boy said lightly, a taunting gleam in his eyes. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy, I suppose Gryffindor would be fine."

"So where would you fit in-seeing as you're neither?" Sirius growled, coming to James' defense.

As the two of them dissolved into boyish laughter, Lily stood up and seized Severus' hand, greasy locks whipping about his face and leaving a shiny mark across his nose as she hauled him non-too-gently to his feet. "Come on, Severus, let's find a better compartment."

She threw a look of pure venom at the two laughing boys who only guffawed harder at the sight of Severus trying to rub the greasy off of his nose with his free hand.

"See ya, Snivellus!" a voice called after them as the compartment door slammed.

"Well that was just impossible! Oh those boys!" Lily complained, slamming her hand into the outer wall of a compartment in frustration as she and Severus went looking for a new place to wait out the rest of the ride, thankful they had both changed into their school robes.

"Lily!" A girl hailed them from the compartment they'd just passed and Lily rushed over to her friend Alice.

"Oh Alice! I just met the most horrible boys!"

"Really? Well, come on in Lily, dear and you can tell me all about it. I'm sure that Remus and Peter wouldn't mind some more company, would you boys?"

"Not at all," came the soft reply from within and Alice grinned, leaning in close she whispered, "Oh I'm sure you'll like them, Lily. They're very mild-mannered," she added with a small wink as she ushered the two inside.

"Oh and you're both already in your school things!" she added, as she shut the door behind them. She made a small face as they settled in, "I sound like my mother!" she groaned and the whole compartment erupted into a gale of laughter.

"Oh but I like your mother," Lily said reassuringly. "She's really quite a lovely woman."

Alice sighed and settled in between Severus and Lily. "I suppose it's not the end of the world, right?"

"Not at all," Remus said, and Lily realized that, though he had spoken twice…he had said hardly anything at all.

"Well, I'm Lily Evans, and this," she pointed around Alice to Severus, "is Severus Snape, he's a friend of mine."

"Remus Lupin."

"Peter Pettigrew." The last boy looked so nervous, she thought he would fall off his seat, he was trembling so terribly.

"So is everyone excited for the start of term? I think it's going to be perfectly lovely! But then again, I'm a muggle-born so-"

"Lily-" She stopped, surprised by the note of warning in her best friend's voice. Severus had never spoken to her like that before and so she sat, subdued while Remus picked up the conversation, trying to encourage Peter to talk about his own home-life.

"Well I live with my mum. Dad died when I was about six so she's been looking after me. Almost didn't think I'd get my letter, my Gran thought I was a Squib, see." At the confused look on Lily's face, he added, "A Squib's a kid with magical parents who isn't all that well…magical. But then I was late for breakfast one morning and I was running down the stairs and I tripped. Fell down three flights, but the last one turned into a ramp with a pillow moat at the bottom so besides a few bruises-I wasn't too banged up."

He smiled a little bit, twittering at the memory before he continued, "Of course Mum was pleased, she could finally stop Gran from trying to hex me every time I went over."

Remus blinked, that hadn't really been the story he'd expected at all, though it explained why the boy was so nervous. But so far, by directing the conversation, he was avoiding having to say much about his own life which, by his standards, was crucial.

Turning to the only other boy in the compartment, he was just going to ask him about his family when the compartment door slid open and a much taller male with short white-blonde locks stepped inside, a green prefect's badge that practically glowed upon his chest.

"We'll be at the school shortly; it would be a good idea to slip into your robes now." His grey eyes met Severus' for just a moment before he nodded and exited the compartment.

"Right, well off to the loo I go," Alice said cheerily as she departed, robes slung over an arm.

"See you at school, Lily, Severus."

"Bye Remus," Lily called after him, frowning slightly. He seemed almost cheerful to leave, were they really such bad company?

"B-bye," Peter stuttered as he scurried out the compartment.

"Peter wait!" Lily called and the boy turned so fast he lost his footing and had to grab the doorframe for support.

"You-er-dropped a sock," she muttered, handing it to him.

Peter blushed, embarrassed by his hurry and departed, sliding the door back so hard that the glass broke. "Oh dear, I didn't mean-"

Lily fished her robe out of the pocket she'd designated for it and waved him on ahead. "It's alright," she said kindly. "I'll fix it."

Peter beamed at her and scrambled off to the lavatories, anxious not to be late for the second time that day.

With three of their compartment-mates gone, the talking had pretty much ceased in Lily and Severus' compartment. Much of their time was now taken up by gazing out the window at the dark blur that was fast approaching on the horizon.

"Is that it?" Lily asked anxiously, her nose pressed up against the glass.

Severus laughed and nodded, though he was gazing not out the window, but at her. "Yes, yes it is."


	4. Welcome to Hogwarts

_Author's Note: This one's a bit shorter than the others because I had it as part of the chapter on the Sorting Ceremony that I'm writing, but it was just coming out to be too long, so I split them. Hopefully it won't read oddly now!_

_--_

"Oh it's so beautiful!" Lily cooed as they slipped off the train amidst the crowd of other students who were happily chattering about the year to come.

"I wonder what speech Dumbledore's got cooked up for this year?"

"It'll be rich, whatever it is."

"I hope it's short," another older student piped up, "I'm starving!"

"Of course _you_ are, Ed," one of the girls giggled and elbowed the boy in the side jokingly as she walked past him.

"Oi Emm, wait up!" he called, a goofy smile plastered over his features as he set off after the tall, wispy, girl.

"Poor Edgar," one of the boys from the group muttered, shaking his head as he stepped off the train. "She's out of his league."

Lily rolled her eyes and caught sight of Alice standing a bit confused in the middle of the slimming crowd. "Alice!" she and Severus quickly made their way over.

"Firs' years this way! Firs' years over here, please!"

Remus didn't have far to look, a giant of a man was wading through the crowd, beaming at the students that surrounded him, a great lantern bobbing in his meaty hand.

He cast a look around for the smaller boy and set off toward the big man, calling, "This way, Peter." He felt sorry for the small boy, but he wasn't about to crack his defenses for anyone-least of all a boy two-thirds his size.

"James, wait up!"

"Come on, Sirius. I am _not_ going to let you make me late." James tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his new friend outside the bathroom. What in the name of Merlin's briefs was taking him so long?

James smothered a laugh in his hand as he thought of his mother's face if he'd ever said that out loud in front of her. His dad would find it funny but his mum…she'd probably tell Astrid not to make him any more cookies. The thought was instantly sobering-as was the appearance of the two sisters he'd run into earlier.

Still apparently blind to his presence, they banged on the door to the boy's lavatory. "Sirius, are you in there?"

"You're making us late," the blonde whined, twirling her hair about her finger nervously. "I was supposed to meet Lucius at the carriages."

"Then what are you doing out there?" Sirius asked irritably…he was only still _in_ the bathroom trying to avoid them...oh how well that had turned out.

"Honestly!" Bellatrix Black rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand. "Uncle asked us to look out for you, Sirius. Now be a good little boy and come on out."

"Leave him alone," James said coldly, wand raised at her.

Narcissa giggled. "Oh look, Bella. The little fool thinks he can keep us from having our way. We're Blacks, first year…we get what we want."

"_Everything_ we want," Bellatrix reinforced, choosing to point her wand at him instead of the doorknob. "But if you'd like a lesson, I'd be happy to teach y-"

The door flew open and Sirius appeared, fully clothed with his wand in hand, an angry gleam in his eye. "Leave him alone, Bellatrix," he said flatly, ignoring her amused cackle. Rolling his eyes, Sirius seized James' arm and headed out onto the platform, his eyes struggling to adjust to the semi-darkness that awaited him.

"Any more firs' years?" Hagrid called, swinging his lamp as he tried to illuminate the pathway.

"We're coming!" James called and both of them broke out into a run, nearly colliding with the big man who merely laughed and set them gently on their feet again.

"Well hello!" he boomed brightly, offering his hand to each of them in turn. "I'm Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid-Keeper o' the Keys at Hogwarts. And yer a Black, if I'm not mistaken?" Sirius nodded and Hagrid's smile widened. "Thought not. And yeh are-?"

"James, James Potter."

"Well Mr. Potter and Mr. Black-welcome ter Hogwarts. And," he added, tipping them a large wink. "Try an' be a bit more on time for yer classes. The teachers don't like it much when yer late."

They both nodded and Hagrid grinned. "Well inter the boats with you lot, not more'n four to a vessel. That's a lad," he added encouragingly as Peter, on his third attempt at hefting himself over the side of the wooden boat, finally managed it.

"Right well, now all we've got is to pick one," James said, starting for the boat with Lily in it.

"Hold on, mate, I don't fancy a ride across waters infested with who knows what with Snivellus over there."

James looked at the boat again and saw, once more to his surprise, Severus seated calmly in the boat with _his_ girl. That boy had it coming to him, hanging out with the girl of his dreams so brazenly. As a third, sort of round girl joined them, James resigned himself to the fact that a different boat was, indeed, in order.

Glancing over his choices, James settled on the boat that contained the small boy they'd helped onto the train earlier that day. "How about that one?"

Sirius' grey eyes scanned the contents and he nodded his assent, wondering how a boy that small could possibly be eleven. And why was his companion so pale, his mind contemplated as he stepped gracefully over the side. Surely they didn't let part vampires into Hogwarts? Did vampires have children?

Sirius shook his head as the boats began to move, some introduction was in order. "I'm Sirius, Sirius Black. And this is-"

"Oi, why d'you get to go first, mate?" James asked, a mock frown descending over his features. "Either way," he added, grinning. "I'm James Potter."

"Nice to meet you," the pale boy said airily, his blue eyes focusing on them for a moment before looking away. "Remus Lupin."

"And I'm Peter." The small boy they'd rescued earlier squeaked. "Peter Pettigrew."

"Pleased to meet you," James said politely.

Sirius only grunted, trying to catch the Lupin boy's eye.

Remus flushed, meeting Sirius' gaze for the first time. "Can I help you?"

Sirius shrugged, looking behind the other boy at a point just above his head, a small grin blossoming on his face.

Remus too turned around and instinctively he knew what it was that he was seeing, even before Peter shouted, "It's Hogwarts!"

"No," Sirius whispered. "It's home." Already he knew that it would mean much more that to him than No. 12 Grimmauld Place ever could.

"Look mate," James added, tapping Sirius lightly on the shoulder. "Something in the water."

Sirius sighed and leaned over the side of the boat, hoping that James wouldn'tve pointed it out if it wasn't something good.

And good it was! A large pink tentacle had risen out of the lake just beside their boat, its' slender tip stroking the side of the boat gingerly.

"It's going to flip us!" Peter squeaked and a girl in one of the nearby boats screamed in horror as James reached out to touch the soft pink flesh.

But just as his fingertips brushed the surface, the tentacle withdrew, straightening until it towered over both their boat, and the boat next to them before it crashed into the water with a mighty splash, effectively soaking the four of them.

As they all swept their wet hair out of their eyes, the four boys looked at each other and shared a good laugh, quickly joined in by Hagrid and the rest of their class.

"What was that thing?"

"It's going to flip us!" Sirius mimicked, shaking his head forcefully, showering his companions with water yet again. "Honestly Peter, lighten up, would you?"

"Y'know, I reckon that was the giant squid my Dad was telling me about!" James remarked excitedly.

"I don't doubt that, James, that thing _was_ gigantic," Remus said, his voice warm.

The three other boys turned to look at Remus, Sirius lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"You actually said something, mate," he said, disbelievingly.

Remus only laughed again and said, "I _can_ talk you know…I just…choose not to most of the time."


	5. The Sorting Ceremony

_Author's Note: I realize I've been focusing a lot with James and Sirius lately. If there's a particular character you'd like to see more of, please let me know and I'll be happy to get them in here._

_Also, if you think that some of these chapters are running too slow, too long, or too something-or-other, please let me know. I'd be most grateful for any comments you all might have._

_--_

With a soft crunching of gravel, they had arrived at the dock and a rather stern looking woman with a peaked hat of emerald green was waiting for them. She pursued her lips at the sight of Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter and her eyes settled on Hagrid who merely smiled.

"They had a run in with the squid, Professor."

Minerva McGonagall sighed, a small smile drifting across her features as she introduced herself. "I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Teacher here at Hogwarts. While I trust you all are quite eager to get a little dinner in you, you must first participate in the Sorting Ceremony where your houses for the next seven years will be decided." She nodded curtly to Hagrid who motioned a few of the more reluctant first years forward. "This way please." And with that, Professor McGonagall had headed off down the marble corridor leaving the overwhelmed first years with no choice but to follow.

Years of Deputy Headmistressing had allowed Professor McGonagall the time to get her First of Term Banquet down to a science. Get them off the boats, get them to the 'waiting room', get them in the Great Hall, get them sorted, fed, and off to bed. All while putting the fear of a _teacher_ into them. It was something that Minerva McGonagall did with relish. Being head of Gryffindor House was nice as it gave her the opportunity to get to know some of her students better, but being the first real teacher they met when they got to school was a pleasure that she would gladly give up the rest for…well…maybe not the Quidditch Cup, if her team ever did win it again that is.

"Now then, as up and coming witches and wizards, all of you have certain responsibilities here at Hogwarts." They had come to a rather large wooden door that rested at the end of a long marble chamber-the perfect backdrop for her speech. "Respect your teachers _and _your classmates. While tempers can go astray, I would ask that all of you **try** to keep a civil tongue in your heads at all time. You are the future, and though it is up to the staff and faculty here to assume the responsibility of teaching you all that you need to know…it is up to you to learn it." She took a quick inventory of the assembled, trying to gauge who best had listened to her speech. Her keen eyes picked out a red-headed girl (the muggleborn) and a pale boy with mousy brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

The smile faded slightly on her face as she looked at him, dearly hoping that Dumbledore was right in allowing a boy with his…affliction…to enter the school. No other headmaster would have done it; of that much she was certain. But she was still unclear as to whether or not that made it _right_. "Wait here, everyone, and I shall be back to collect you in a moment."

As soon as the great wooden door shut behind her, a great babble broke out, excited voices echoing across the marble chamber.

"Oh I wonder what the sorting ceremony is?"

"My cousin said we have to fight a dragon!" At this announcement, several girls shrieked and the skinny boy from whom it had originated grinned, loving the attention as they descended upon him, each asking a different question about dragon-fights.

"What's the difference between teaching and learning anyhow?"

Sirius blinked, his grey eyes narrowing as he looked down at the small boy. "Just how thick are you, Peter?" he queried.

"Now really, Sirius," James chided as Peter looked hurt and retreated a few paces.

"It's more the principle of the thing, Peter," Remus said hastily. "And it's good that you remembered that, even if you weren't sure what it meant," he added, flashing the boy a reassuring smile.

"Alright," a stern voice called over the roar of confusion and speculation that had been running rampant in the chamber ever since she'd left. "We're ready for you!" The chatter stopped almost immediately and every face turned to look up at her, nervousness stamped upon every face.

"I'm going to call everyone in alphabetically-"

Sirius winced and James whispered, "Tough luck mate."

"And you will file out of this room _in the order in which I call you_ is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am," a few of them muttered, looking green.

Efficient as always, Minerva McGonagall had quickly assembled her charges and they had made their way into the Great Hall where it felt like a million eyes were upon them.

No doubt the room was beautiful, but beyond the sneers, jeers, and catcalls of the other students (some encouraging), the first years couldn't see much past the stool that sat, centered, just before the middle of their line.

"Where's the dragon?" Sirius called out and several people along the line chuckled nervously while Sirius himself fought to keep a smile on his face. He was nervous, he didn't want to endure daily doses of pureblood mania-but a part of him still wanted to do his parent's will…he just wasn't sure how big a part that was.

"Here is your task!" Professor McGonagall called out, placing a hat that looked like it had been run through the mill repeatedly, upon the stool. "When I call your name, you will step forward and place this hat upon your head. It will then decide which house you most belong in."

A few people shifted nervously, edging for a look at their neighbors. How was a _hat_ supposed to decide anything? Let alone tell you what it had decided. Suddenly a wide rip opened on the brim and the hat burst into a little ditty, warbling away.

_Oh I'm a Hat_

_And you can bet_

_I can see into your heart quick as I'm set_

_Upon your head._

_Unless you're dead…"_

There was an appreciative chuckle around the room that the hat…paused for? But hats don't sing…or hold for laughs, right?

"_So don't be shy!_

_Come and try_

_Me on for size._

_I don't bite_

_But I might-_

_If you put me on your nose!_

_So don't be late_

_Don't hesitate_

_The time is now_

_No need to wait!_

_For I'm the Sorting Hat of Gryffindor_

_Who charmed me long ago-"_

The witty part of the 'song' seemed to be over and the hat suddenly became slightly more tuneful as it croaked out the next few verses that seemed to be vaguely familiar to the students seated at the house tables.

"_To divide you lot_

_And tell you where you ought to go._

_You might belong in Gryffindor_

_Where Brave and Bold at Heart_

_Do prosper in the company of lions set apart._

_You might end up in Slytherin_

_Where cleverness and charm_

_Win you careful friends but won't shield you from harm_

_You might land in Ravenclaw_

_Where wit and Magic blend_

_Swift sorcery and smarts are quite the active trend_

_You might wind up in Hufflepuff-_

_But don't be filled with woe_

_You've found your kind_

_-of alike mind_

_A good and loyal friend_

_The badger, true, defensive you will fight on till the end_

_I've done my piece_

_I've sung my song_

_The rest is up to you_

_So step on up, give me a try_

_Your heart and mind speak true._

James grinned at the mention of Gryffindor, thrusting an imaginary sword out at the assembled while Sirius began trying dig into the cobbles with the toe of his boot, conscious of Bellatrix and Narcissa's eyes upon him.

Remus merely sighed and shot a glance down the line at Peter who was positively trembling with worry. The pale boy sighed, hoping that Peter would end up somewhere where he would have friends.

"Agnew, Spencer!"

A boy almost the same height as Sirius strode forward looking positively nervous in front of the silent hall. As he put the dirty old hat upon his head, his eyes widened a bit fearfully then suddenly the brim opened again and the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

And Agnew, Spencer went off to join his fellow Hufflepuffers in a shower of applause, a soft smile on his face as two older students budged up to make room for him.

Sirius, on the other hand, began inspecting his fingernails, determined not to show one bit of his nervousness in front of the keen eyes of his two cousins. He wondered briefly why McGonagall couldn'tve started with that Z kid down at the end. Zamboni or whatever his name was.

"Black, Sirius!"

Thrusting a hand into the pocket of his robes, Sirius walked forward as casually as he could manage, aware now of more eyes than just his cousins as he lifted the hat by its crooked point and settled it on his head and sat down hard on the stool, shocked.

_Oh another Black, eh? I know just where to put you._

Sirius' blood ran cold; the hat was talking inside his head? But-hang on- that wasn't even the important issue here and he brushed the thought away angrily. This mangy piece of fabric was going to ruin his life! **Not Slytherin** he thought determinedly at it. He didn't know what he was going to do if the hat put him in there; he got enough of that pureblood rubbish at home.

_Not Slytherin?_

The hat seemed surprised for a moment and then started muttering to itself so low that Sirius had a hard time catching all the words.

_Hmm…loyalty, yes….that'd do fine…no…no it…well well, Mr. Black, it'd better be-_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

Silence met this pronouncement, he was a Black…Bellatrix and Narcissa's little cousin…Shouldn't he be in Slytherin with the rest of them?

There was a scattered bit of applause from both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables as Sirius took a seat. Catching Andromeda's eye, he beamed back at her as she and her friends resumed watching the sorting.

Lily Evans was eying the Slytherin table with something bordering distaste. They didn't look like a very savory bunch, despite their well polished looks. There was just something about them, a hungry look in their eyes that she found unnerving. For the third time in their friendship, Lily was questioning Severus' judgment. Why did he wish to belong to such a bloodthirsty looking group of people?

Lily sighed, and stumbled forward as her name was called. She sat primly on the stool and allowed Professor McGonagall to place the hat on her head. Almost as soon as the brim touched her red locks, the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" and through a much generous shower of applause, took a seat next to another first year at the table who budged up to make room.

Turning to thank him, she suddenly matched his face with the one of the boys who had been completely rude on the train and turned her back on him, flicking her red curls into his face.

Sirius, after spitting locks of red hair from out of his then-open mouth, he realized that he had missed several of the names and that they'd gotten all the way down to the 'L's. "Thanks a lot," he muttered waspishly at the girl's back as "Little, Velma" was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Next up was the thin boy whose cousin had told him they had to fight a dragon to get in. And as "Longbottom, Frank" stepped up to face the hat, his face was incredible pale and sweaty and he shot a nervous glance over at the Slytherin table. But there was no need for him to worry because almost as quickly as the hat had put Lily Evans into Gryffindor, so too did it place him.

"Oi Frank, where's that dragon of yours?" Sirius asked, clapping him on the back as his classmate walked past.

"Well it got scared and flew off, dinnit?" he answered, grinning. "I'd be scared too if I had to fight me." The half of the table that didn't include Lily Evans erupted into laughter and a spot along the table opened up for Frank near the House Ghost-a rather pompous looking fellow by the name of Nearly Headless Nick.

"Now personally," the ghost was saying. "I prefer my actual _full_ title which is Sir Nicholas-" But Sirius didn't hear what the rest of the ghost's title was because at that moment, "Lupin, Remus" had been called and the potentially vampiric boy was calmly and confidently walking up to the hat.

The hat dwelled upon his head for quite some time and Sirius saw his expression change from polite disinterest to looking completely unnerved.

Remus Lupin was extremely uncomfortable up on the stool with the hat on his head. He could see the other students looking interestedly at him and he felt like a rat in one of those muggle laboratories his father had been telling him about shortly before start of term. He half expected someone to throw something; the hat was taking so long. But what made it worse was that the hat itself seemed to be taunting him.

_Oh it's the werewolf, I see. Oh yes, I heard Dumbledore telling the staff all about you. They know, you know. Oh whoops, I see you didn't._

The hat giggled as Remus twitched; he'd thought Dumbledore would've kept his secret as close as Remus himself. Obviously he was wrong.

_But where to put you? You're a funny one to be sure…you have a caring heart-but you refuse to allow yourself to care. Slytherin is a cold house, it would serve you well._

Remus shook his head, **Not Slytherin**, he begged, glancing along the line of green clad students.

The hat laughed again. _You might be surprised, Mr. Lupin, but I get that quite a lot. Some of you act as though Slytherin is some kind of punishment. The Snake _does _represent a noble house. But, as I said before, it _is_ what you want that makes the difference here. So I guess it'll be-_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

The table cheered and as Remus set the hat back down on the stool, he looked up suddenly and found himself meeting a pair of bright blue eyes that twinkled at him merrily. Backtracking to the face, a sudden realization hit him. _Dumbledore_. Nodding to the Headmaster, Remus took a seat next to Lily who smiled at him.

"Well done Remus," she whispered.

The sorting continued with the regular smattering of Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins and the three new Gryffindors' attentions were waning until "Pettigrew, Peter" was called.

The boy was so nervous that he jumped half a mile when his name was called and scurried up to the stool amid light laughter from the Slytherin side. Sirius growled and his grey eyes narrowed as he watched the small boy ascend the school. "Come on Peter," he muttered as the hat descended upon his head, blocking his face from view.

_Hmm…curious. Clumsy, not very courageous, little bravery-but I see loyalty in you. And a desire to follow those whom you consider your friends. Hopefully they will put as much effort into you. _

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat called out and as it was pulled from off of Peter's head, the small boy beamed as he hurried over to sit across from Remus at the table.

But they didn't have too long to congratulate him for "Potter, James" was moments away from setting on the stool and being sorted.

_Ah. Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr. Potter._

**Gryffindor**, James was chanting at it, his lips moving with the intensity of his thoughts.

_You're welcome_, the hat added, amused, just before it called out "GRYFFINDOR!"

James leapt from the stool and whipped the hat off his head with a triumphant cry as he practically ran over to his house table, Sorting Hat still clutched tightly in his hand.

"Mr. Potter, if you don't mind?" Professor McGonagall called out and he turned, suddenly realizing he still held the hat. "Ms. Prewett deserves her turn, same as you."

"Oh right," James muttered, a slight color rising to his cheeks as he jogging back to deliver the hat to "Prewett, Alice" before taking the seat right across from Sirius.

"Nice job, mate," Sirius said, laughing.

"Oh shut up," James replied, a dreamy smile floating onto his face as he looked across the table at Lily Evans.

But something always would beat his daydreams as Prewett, Alice was sorted into Gryffindor and Lily practically leapt from her seat to try and hug her friend across the table.

As the two girls embraced, Alice accidentally caught James in the forehead with an elbow, nearly knocking him off the bench. The girl sat down suddenly and looked over at her seatmate. "Sorry, James isn't it?"

"Uhm filling," he muttered, dazed.

Alice blinked and Sirius laughed, banging a fist on the table as Lily scooted further away from him to watch the sorting of Snape, Severus.

"Oh you got him good, Alice!" Sirius chuckled as James' eyes slowly refocused.

"Whoa," he said as Lily smacked Sirius on the arm in an attempt to shut him up. "That was the weirdest feeling-what did you hit me with?" he added, flashing a wide smile in Alice's direction who blushed.

"My elbow," she muttered sheepishly.

"Well your elbow packs quite a wallop," James said, gingerly feeling a lump that was rapidly growing on his forehead.

By now, the rest of the Gryffindor table had caught on to what had just happened and many of the students had dissolved into laughter so that Lily barely heard the hat's shout of SLYTHERIN when it touched down on Snape's head.

As her best friend walked past on his way to join his own house, Lily smiled sadly as he met her eyes looking hurt and abandoned.

"These first years, just you watch Emm, they're going to be trouble," one of the older students said to a girl with long golden blonde hair and a scarlet badge with the initials HG on it.


	6. Dumbledore's Request

_Author's Note: Thanks so much for the review! I really hope that everyone who's sticking with me is enjoying themselves._

_--_

After Zabini, Phyllis was sorted into Slytherin; the Great Hall quieted as the silver haired man at the middle of the staff table rose and surveyed them all serenely.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would like to wish all of our first years a very warm welcome-and an especially toasty hello to our returning students.

I am pleasantly surprised to find that few of you have returned more than a little worse-for-wear."

His blue eyes settled on a young girl and her brother, his blue eyes twinkling as he observed their hair oscillating between a dark red and an almost white blonde color, flowing through every color in the middle. But that was just one of the unhappy yet interesting consequences of being the children of a beauty potion aficionado.

"But, as always, it is my duty to point out to the student body that certain areas at Hogwarts are out-of-bounds. The Forbidden Forest is a good example of this. But an even better one, as I am almost certain several of you will test, is the Whomping Willow. A new tree that I thought Professor Sprout would enjoy the challenging task of caring for it. I'm afraid I simply cannot say no to an old friend in need and I acquired this tree from him quite recently.

Also, though we are not your parents, this is not a place to go on some sort of everlasting vacation-but a school. We, and by we I mean myself and the staff, expect all of you to stick to your books and hold your own noses to the grindstone." He held his smile through the collective groan and continued, "Though personally I believe we are foolish to expect anything-" he added the last bit rather hastily as Professor McGonagall pierced him with a disapproving look. "Certain others of my colleagues believe we should hold you to some high standard. Which I do," he added defensively.

"I expect all of you are hungry."

"Of course we are!"

"Black!" Lily chided, shushing him.

"Well then I have nothing more to say then to wish you all good fun, good food, and good friendship."

And as he sat back down, a chorus of oohs and aahs erupted from the house tables as food suddenly appeared in the golden dishes.

It seemed as though all of Sirius' favorite foods were there and, as he reached for another leg of roast chicken, he called down the Gryffindor table, "Oi Nick! I missed out on that story you were telling earlier-care to share?"

The ghost smiled, he was used to the attention but never could pass up the chance to relate the story of his death to any student who had an ear to listen.

"Well, I suppose," he said as he glided down the table-the bottom of his pearly torso floating through the bowls of food as he went.

"Nick!" A few disgruntled Gryffindors muttered unhappily as they felt the arm numbing sensation that only a ghost could stimulate as he drifted over their hands as they reached for more food.

Coming to a halt right before them, Nick bowed, his head wobbling almost as much as the feather on the large-brimmed hat he wore. "I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, as I'm sure you all know," he added, beaming at the six first years before him. At their blank stares, the smile slipped a fraction and he sighed huffily. "You wanted to know about my death right?" At this James and Sirius nodded and Sir Nick beamed at them-it _was_ his favorite story after all.

"Well actually, if you wouldn't mind…I've spent the last several decades constructing a ballad on the subject-"

"Oi, you're Nearly Headless Nick, aren't you?" James asked suddenly, one of his father's stories coming back to him in a flash.

Nick sighed heavily and turned his cold stare upon the young boy. "Yes…I suppose that is what most of the students call me. But I _prefer_-"

"How are you nearly headless then?"

"Well I was getting to that!" he said, his head looking increasingly unstable upon his shoulders as he bobbed up and down in irritation at being interrupted yet again. And, being a rather sensitive soul had been building up to the moment when he could finally unveil his masterpiece.

But just as he opened his mouth to begin, a voice called from the far end of the table, "First years, if you're quite finished, follow me please!"

"Well FINE!" Nick bellowed angrily, his head falling to the side, hanging off of his ruff by a mere half inch of skin.

As the girls shrieked in horror, Peter jumped behind James in an attempt to shield his eyes from the sight and Sir Nick floated away, trying to right his head muttering things like, "Oh yes, make fun of Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington…since his head's fallen off, he _obviously_ can't hear you! Oh the living…how I almost regret ever-" Luckily the rest of his comment was saved by a scraping of chairs as most of the hall rose to head back up to their dormitories.

Emmeline Vance shook her head. "Well that was…bizarre," she muttered, gazing down the line at the smaller students who were waiting for her. "Right, first years? I'm Emmeline Vance, your Head Girl and a fellow Gryffindor. I'm going to give you a short tour on our way to the Common Room so follow me!"

And with that she headed off, her cloak swishing importantly behind her as she breezed out of the Great Hall and into the entry way.

Though she was pointing out occasional landmarks, this statue marks this hall, and such, James and Sirius were much busier talking about the day's events than they were paying any sort of attention so when they arrived at the portrait of a rather fat lady in a gaudy pink dress, they exchanged a look of surprise.

"This," she said, pointing to it with a slim hand. "Is the Portrait Hole Entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. There is a password."

"Yes dear, ooh are these the first years?" The Fat Lady waved at them and a few of the first years waved shyly back.

"Yeah, they are," Emmeline replied, smiling. "Anyways, your trunks are in a dormitory somewhere in there. Just follow the stairs-I'm sure you'll find it. Oh and don't forget the password," she added hastily, waiting for someone to nod before she turned toward the portrait. "Pepper Imp."

"Oh dear, Dumbledore's gone back to his sweets, hasn't he?" the Fat Lady asked, throwing up her hands as the portrait swung open revealing a circular hole that was a good six inches off the ground. As they climbed in, the first years were startled by how large the Gryffindor Common Room was-and how cozy.

Plush armchairs and rows of inviting looking tables dotted the room. A chandelier cast some light about the dark scarlet papered walls, gold filigree catching the light and reflecting it back into the room.

A large fire crackled in the middle of the far wall and Remus suddenly realized that he was still damp from their encounter with the squid and was just heading toward the merry flames when Emmeline cleared her throat behind him, "Remus Lupin?"

He turned, frowning slightly. What business could anyone have with him? He'd hardly spoken all day. His light blue eyes caught sight of her standing beside another student with a mop of unruly brown hair that held a scroll in his hand. "Here."

"Oh there you are," the boy said, grinning. "Got some early mail for you," he added, passing him the letter. "Prefect meeting was dull as ever," he said, striking up a conversation with Emmeline. "But I hear you've got to head over to Dumbledore's to meet up with the new head boy. Guesses?"

"Oh I hope it's not that Edgar Bones from Hufflepuff! He's been trying to get me alone all afternoon. I practically had to run into the castle to keep him from cornering me after I got out of the carriages. _Tell _me he was at the prefect meeting, Benjy."

Benjy Fenwick ran a hand through his hair and smiled sympathetically. "Come to think of it…I don't remember seeing Ed at the meeting. Guess he got his wish, huh Emm? Ow!"

Remus was halfway through his letter when he looked up to see Benjy rubbing his arm where she'd hit him. Sighing, he started back up again from the top.

_Dear Mr. Lupin,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits._

_If it isn't too much trouble, I would like very much for you to meet me in my office this evening after you get settled in to discuss your schedule for this term. It's just behind the gargoyles on the second floor. And while I've told them to let you in…they can be a bit cheeky so the password is Lemon Drop._

_Regards,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Remus paled slightly. He hadn't even been at school for an entire day and he'd already been summoned to the Headmaster's office! Not as though Dumbledore didn't have a good reason for it…it was just that Remus would've liked a bit more time to relax and talk with his new friends. _But that's exactly what he doesn't want you to do_, a nasty part of Remus' brain whispered.

Remus looked at the note again. It did say to come down _after_ he got settled, but it seemed better to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Hey Remus, you coming?" a voice called and Remus looked up to see James standing beside the stairs with Peter and Sirius in tow.

"Nah, I've got something to take care of," he said as nonchalantly as he could, waving the piece of parchment to clarify. "I'll be up later."

"Alright!" James said and the three of them trooped upstairs to check out the place they would be living in for the next seven years.

"Pepper Imp, right?" he asked as he headed toward the Portrait Hole.

"That's right, Remus. But try not to stay out too late; there is a curfew, y'know." Benjy said as the Fat Lady swung closed behind him.

The walk to the Headmaster's office was much less confusing than Remus had thought it would be. The various statues and portraits that Emmeline had mentioned were actually quite useful and Remus found himself in front of a pair of rather menacing-looking gargoyles in next to no time at all.

"Well are you going to just stand there gawking all day?" one of them asked and Remus took a step back, surprised.

"If you don't have a password-it won't do you any good," the other added, looking down its' nose at him.

"R-right," Remus stuttered, scanning the parchment in his hand for the password. "Lemon Drop."

"Oh he _did_ have it," one of the gargoyles muttered, surprised, as it swung aside to allow him passage to the office within.

Climbing the spiral staircase quickly, he arrived at a wooden door with a brass knocker that was the shape of a griffin. Grasping it, he had barely lifted it when a voice called, "Come in."

Lowering the knocker carefully, Remus pushed the door open and stepped inside. Professor Dumbledore was, not seated at his desk, but beside a perch in the corner, stroking a smallish bird with orangey feathers. "Oh hello, Remus," he said brightly, leaving the bird to ease himself into a high backed chair that sat behind the desk. "Oh forgive me, please, sit." He motioned to the squat, scarlet upholstered chair that sat on the same side of the desk as Remus currently stood.

Remus, not wanting to be rude, quickly settled into the seat, surprised at how comfortable he felt.

"So this is that werewolf you mentioned, Dumbledore?" a cold voice sneered from somewhere above him. Searching for the source, Remus discovered, much to his 

surprise, that the walls were covered in the portraits of other elderly witches and wizards. He could only assume that they were the old heads of the school.

"Phineas," Dumbledore said warningly.

"No really, Dumbledore I don't know what you were thinking, allowing that boy into this school. It is a disaster waiting to happen!"

"Sadly, Albus, I must agree," a man with the standard Armando Dippet said glumly from his portrait. "I myself turned down several of his kind while I was Headmaster of this school."

"Gentlemen!" a small wizard with an umbrella squeaked from his portrait. "I'm sure that he has a very good reason for allowing the boy in if we'd only let him speak on it."

"Thank you, Maes," Dumbledore said, smiling at the wizard who lifted his umbrella in a kind of salute. "Now Remus, I'm sure that you know why I've called you to my office tonight."

"Yes sir, to discuss my…disability."

Dumbledore frowned at the boy's word choice. "Disability? No, I wouldn't call it that at all. Not a gift, no," he mused. "But it does certainly set you apart, Remus."

"Not in a good way," Phineas Nigellus muttered, feigning disinterest as Dumbledore shot him a look.

"Don't mind him. He's been up on that wall for so long, I think it's going to his head," Dumbledore said, a twinkling in his blue eyes that put a smile on his face. "Now back to the matter at hand; your head of house, Professor McGonagall…you met her earlier, will come to collect you just before dusk on the night of a full moon. She, accompanied by Madam Pomfrey, our lovely matron, will escort you to a safe place for you to transform."

"Ah Professor? It's not somewhere here in the castle is it? I mean, what if I got out and attacked somebody? That would be terrible, I wouldn't-"

Dumbledore held up a hand and Remus stopped mid-sentence. "Already thought of, dear boy. You noticed that I had to introduce the Whomping Willow? Beneath it lies a tunnel that will lead to your safe house. I, along with several other capable members of my staff, have fortified it to the best of our abilities and, if I may be so immodest, I believe that we did a capital job of it. If your werewolf self manages to break out, I will be the first person to insist that it was well earned."

"Oh." Remus was taken aback as to the sheer amount of effort and care the Headmaster had put into ensuring both his safety and the safety of his fellow students. He couldn't think of a single flaw in that plan-at least not on his end. "That-that sounds good, Professor."

Dumbledore laughed and rose to escort Remus out of his office. "And I didn't even need to say it myself," he said, thoroughly satisfied with Remus' acceptance of his little plan. "Now I do believe I'm running a little late for my engagement with Ms. Vance and Mr. Bones." He pulled the door open to reveal a rather angry looking Emmeline and a boy that was almost her height who was incredibly red in the face. "Oh dear," Dumbledore said, surprised. "Well, good night, Mr. Lupin."

"Night, Professor," he whispered as he switched places with the two outside and headed back toward the Common Room as the door closed behind him. For the first time the whole day, he felt as though he could really, fully, relax.


	7. Violet

_Author's Note: I felt compelled to write a Remus chapter. I hope it's not too boring or out-of-character for him. I'm trying to settle Remus into Hogwarts, but I really don't have as much experience with him as I do Sirius and James so hopefully I'm not offending any Remus Fans with this one! fingers crossed_

_Come to think of it though, this turned into more of a Violet Chapter, than a Remus one. But I think a bit of his personality managed to peek through in here._

_--_

As Remus began to walk back to the common room, he suddenly noticed an elderly witch that was following him from portrait to portrait out of the corner of his eye.

Turning to confront her, he was surprised when she dove behind a barrel of rotting fish in what appeared to be a dungeon. He was just about to call her out when she emerged herself, pinching her nose with a spotted hand.

"Oh that smells terrible!" she exclaimed rather nasally. "Ooh if I get my hands on the wizard responsible for-Oh! Hello dear," she added, her eyes widening in an effort to look surprised.

"Hello yourself, madam," Remus answered, a small smile edging onto his features. Noticing how uncomfortable she looked, he decided that perhaps a change of portrait would be nice. "Would you like to move further down the hall? It can't be all that pleasant in there with all that fish."

The woman positively beamed at him, flushing as she realized that he must've caught her following him from Dumbledore's office. "Why thank you dear," she said as she hurried over to the next portrait-one of two wizards engaging in some kind of duel.

Batting an errant spell away with her crocodile handbag, she pulled out her wand and strode right up to the closer wizard, shaking a bony finger at him. "Never in all my life have I seen such behavior!" she shouted, her small voice echoing shrilly.

The two duelists winced and the closer one hastily pocketed his wand and bowed slightly. "Sorry marm, we meant no offense."

"There," she said, rapping the young gentleman on the head with her wand. "That's what I like to see. Nice, quiet, respectful young men who actually _allow their elders to have a conversation!_"

"Excuse me, madam," Remus started, wiggling a finger in his ear. He really didn't want to be getting into trouble on his first night at Hogwarts and he was sure that the time was getting close to curfew.

"Not now dear, I'm in the middle of a tirade," she said simply, as if this was quite the normal thing to say. Remus immediately clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter as she turned back around to shout at the duelists again, indignantly stamping her high-heeled shoes as she caught sight of the coat-tails of the second disappearing out of the frame. "Oh the nerve of young people today!" she said angrily as she turned back toward him.

Remus Lupin hastily dropped his hand and did his best to look solemnly as she stowed her wand in her rather large handbag.

"Sorry about that, dear. I just can't help myself around some of these young hoodlums. You'd think after I don't know how many centuries up on these walls they would've learned how to behave themselves! But _no!_ Every night when the castle goes to bed, these two start firing jinxes at each other until sunrise. How is anyone supposed to get any sleep up and down this corridor, I ask you? No, don't answer that, dear," she added quickly, as he opened his mouth to respond.

"And they aren't anywhere near as a bad as some of the portraits around the Great Hall," she added, throwing up her hands in frustration. "In fact, I came up here to sit with a nice gentleman who hangs in the corridor we left, just in front of that nasty pair of gargoyles who guard the Headmaster's office, to enjoy a nice cup of tea when-well it was before you came dear," she added, beginning to walk across the frame and into the next portrait as she talked.

"But the most interesting thing happened! Two students, a boy and a girl-oh do you suppose they're the new Head Boy and Girl?" Her face lit up at the prospect and she continued on with her story much more excitedly. "Well anyways, the two showed up round about the same time, but not together-oh no. Because the girl, I think it was Ms. Vance-she's really a very lovely girl from my friend's house-Oops." The woman blushed and covered her mouth. "I really wasn't supposed to tell you that dear."

"Oh, were you talking about the Fat Lady? She guards the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, that's where I'm headed."

She beamed at him and continued on, "So it _was_ Ms. Vance. I thought so," she said, though Remus actually hadn't said anything like that at all. "Well she took one look at the boy and positively flushed! Oh but that Edgar Bones-he could really use a lesson in the subtlety department if you know what I mean."

At the amused expression on Remus' face, she burst into giggles and nearly missed ducking out of the way of a rather tall, tropical, fern in a portrait of a man being penned in a tree by what looked like a manticore. "A little help, Violet?"

"Oh look it's Charles!" The woman named Violet said, waving cheerily at him as he hoisted himself onto a higher branch, narrowly escaping the manticore's claws. "Good show, Charles, dear!"

"Er-Ms. Violet…shouldn't you do something about that? Help him out or something?"

"Oh no dear," she said, waving a hand dismissively as she crossed into the middle of a group of what looked like Elephants practicing a tap dance. "What else would he do if he wasn't fighting the manticore? And really, it _is_ his painting. So I suppose it's his purpose on canvas to get it before it gets him." She twittered at this, apparently tickled by the prospect of the unfortunate Charles being devoured by the manticore. "Of course," she reflected, "If he _were_ to get eaten, that would make that portrait terribly unsafe."

As they ascended they came out on the Grand Staircase, Remus wondered about Violet's sudden lapse into silence. "Ms. Violet? Are you quite alright?"

"Yes dear," she said brightly, waving her hand as she leaned against the frame of wizard in a bathrobe who looked positively startled at being barged in on. "Just a little winded, dear."

"Violet! Madam I am indecent!"

Violet waved a hand at him, not looking as she bent over, trying to catch her breath. "Yes, Felix, I know."

"Would you like me to wait for you?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want you to be late. Run along, I'll catch up."

Though he wasn't quite sure how the elderly woman would manage to catch up to him, Remus started up the stairs suddenly wishing he had someone to talk to.

Halfway up a flight of stairs toward the fifth floor, Remus nearly lost his balance as the whole thing began to move. Pulling away from the wall, Remus was alarmed to discover that the staircase was floating down toward the level he'd just gone to. "I want to go up, you!" he muttered, smacking his hand down upon the banister.

"They do that, sometimes," a familiar voice said and he started, looking at the picture to his left, surprised to see Violet waving brightly at him. "Told you I'd catch up, didn't I?"

Remus returned her smile, glad of the company as he began to reclaim the ground he'd lost. "So is there a pattern to it?"

"To what?"

"The stairs moving about and such?"

"Oh that. Well not that I've noti-don't step there!"

Remus, who was about to put his foot down on the next step, jumped backwards in surprise. "Why not?" he asked, scanning what appeared, to him, to be a perfectly normal step.

"It's a trick step dear. Put down your foot and you'll sink right through! I've heard that it's really a top-notch sensation in your bare feet…but it's really quite hard to get out all by yourself."

"But I'm not-Oh, right." He had been about to insist that he was hardly alone, being with Violet, but then realized that she wouldn't be much help in a situation like that. Suddenly wishing he had real friends to talk to, Remus sighed and hopped over the trick step, glumly ascending the next flight in silence.

"Oh now I've gone and upset you!" Violet exclaimed, wringing her hands anxiously. "Everyone misses that step their first couple of times, dear. I wouldn't get too frazzled about it. Oh I don't know why Emmeline didn't point that out to you on the way up here!"

"No-it's not that. It's just-"

"VI!" An excited voice called from down the hall and Remus looked up to see the Fat Lady waving exuberantly at them.

"Oh look, we're back already," Violet said, sounding down herself.

"Felix, you know that charming man down on the 2nd floor landing?"

"We've met," Violet said as she squeezed into the portrait nearest the Fat Lady.

"Well he sent me the most wonderful tasting chocolate covered cherries. I really must know where he got ahold of them! Oh, Vi you didn't tell me you made a friend!"

"Violet's terrible about things like this," she added to Remus.

"Well he's-" she flushed, realizing that they'd never actually introduced themselves.

"I'm Remus, Remus Lupin."

"Well Remus it was very nice to meet you," Violet called cheerily as he delivered the password, her voice muffled by the Fat Lady's canvas.

"You as well," he said softly as he entered the dark common room.

Sighing as his eyes adjusted to the sudden absence of light, he could pick out the soft glow of embers and the figure of a small boy with spiky hair curled up in one of the armchairs.

"James?" he whispered, surprised.

The boy jerked, his eyes opening, blinking as he realized that his glasses were askew. Straightening them with a laugh, he yawned, his hazel eyes catching sight of Remus. "There you are!" he said, grinning. "You've been gone absolute ages!" he added softly. "I think the others are already asleep. Come on, I've got loads to show you!" he added as he slid out of the red plush chair.

Remus followed him to the staircase, smiling as James relayed parts of their night. It sounded as though the three boys had had fun exploring their dormitory and common room. "And here we are!" he said, stopping on the first door to their left. "The loo's right down the hall if you need it. And I think your bed is across from mine-by the window," he added as he pushed open the door.

Remus, still feeling slightly overwhelmed by the fact that he hadn't needed to fumble around for their dormitory-or his bed-in the dark, merely smiled and nodded. But this didn't faze James all that much; he was used to a Remus who didn't say much.

"I think the house elves might've gotten your pajamas out," he added thoughtfully as he tiptoed toward his own four-poster. And, sure enough, Remus' pajamas were sitting on his bed.

Sliding the curtains closed, he changed quickly and slipped under the covers, smiling as he nestled into the comfort of his soft pillow. "Thank you, James."

The other boy blinked and smiled sleepily. "Y'welcome." And with that, the dormitory was silent.


	8. Good Morning

_Author's Note: A big thank-you to everyone who's stuck with me and has read all my chapters so far!_

_And an extra-large thank-you to Saffygirl for her review of Chapter 7! To be honest, I was kinda nervous about how Violet would be recieved, but I'm glad you liked it. :) That really was a fun chapter for me to write._

_--_

Remus was up early; his dreams had been plagued by visions of a tree with boxing gloves that took a swing at everyone who walked past.

Glancing at the grandfather clock that stood by the door as he relaced his sneakers, he jumped, quickly jamming the shoes onto his feet as he hopped over to James' bed.

"James, we're going to be late to breakfast," he hissed, shaking him.

"Just a few more minutes, Astrid," James mumbled, rolling away from him.

Remus groaned in frustration and grabbed the pillow off of his own bed and whacked the occupant of the next bed over with it.

"Oi!" Sirius grumbled, poking his head out from under the scarlet covers.

In Remus' mounting hysteria, he whacked Sirius again with the pillow, surprised when the boy whomped him back, grinning broadly.

"So we're having a pillow fight, eh?" Sirius asked jovially, preparing to swing again.

"Not me, them!" Remus said as he moved on to Peter.

"So why are we beating them?" Sirius asked, amused, as he dodged a pillow that Frank threw at him and then snuck in a retaliatory hit. "Shouldn'tve thrown your weapon!" he added, springing away to land beside Remus.

"Because if you all don't get dressed in a hurry, we're going to be late!" he said, rounding on James.

"Allow me," Sirius said, bounding forward. "RISE AND SHINE!" he bellowed, raining a hail of blows down upon James in earnest.

"Would you cut that OUT?" James shouted, tackling Sirius as he launched himself from his bed, pillow in hand. "What choo hit me with the pillow for anyhow?" he asked between blows.

Sirius threw an arm up to protect his face as he continued to swing at James, laughing uproariously. His first pillow fight was turning out to be more fun than he'd ever 

imagined! "Well, Remus did it to me, and it looked like fun," he said, spitting goose feathers as James' pillow split over his arm, dumping it's' contents over his head.

"Remus hit you with a pillow?"James asked, surprised and paid for it when Sirius broke his own pillow over his head, still laughing.

"Because we are _going_ to be late!" he called, handing James his glasses so that he could see the time.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" he demanded angrily as he shook the feathers out of his hair and began digging in his trunk for a change of clothes.

Frank and Peter were already half dressed and, seeing that Sirius was still chuckling about being covered in feathers (and was currently playing with one that determinedly settled on his nose no matter how many times he blew it off), Remus rolled his eyes and began rummaging in Sirius' trunk for a change of clothes.

"Oi Remus," he called as he caught the school robes in mid-air and pushed himself up off the floor. "You forgot the knickers."

"You don't have time for those," Remus said coldly, slamming Sirius' trunk shut.

Sirius made a face and began to pull on his cream-colored school shirt. "I don't have time to change my knickers?" The others snorted rather loudly, Peter's high-pitched laugh echoing around their dormitory as Sirius looked over at Remus in apparent disbelief.

"Breakfast starts in less than a minute-if you'd like to be able to change them then get up earlier."

The rest of the boys laughed as Sirius grimaced at the prospect.

"Hey, I got up before you lot!" he said as he yanked on his loafers mumbling something about him not coming to Hogwarts to have a mother following him around and slouched down the dormitory stairs after his dorm-mates.

They arrived at the foot of the stairs to see their Common Room deserted. Peter groaned. How were they ever going to find their way to the Great Hall?

"Guess we're on our own," Frank said, leading them toward the Portrait Hole and out onto the Grand Staircase.

As they looked down the well at the many, many, flights of stairs that lead to the ground floor, Remus was struck with a sudden idea and leapt onto one of the flights 

leading away from the seventh floor. "Come on guys, quickly," he urged, feeling the stairs beginning to shake beneath him.

They quickly obliged and Sirius stepped on just as the flight of stairs detached itself from the wall and began to drift gently down the stairwell. Peter took one look over the side and let out a terrified squeak, hugging the banister tightly, the small boy shut his eyes. "It's moving!" he said weakly.

Though the journey had lasted much longer than Remus' had had the night before, it was worth a little adrenaline rush as the staircase deposited the five boys right on the first floor landing.

"Well done!" James said, clapping Remus on the back as they strode out into the Entrance Hall.

"How did you know it was going to do that?" Frank asked as Sirius pulled a thoroughly shaken Peter off of the banister.

"We've landed genius," he muttered, causing the smaller boy to flush with embarrassment.

Remus smiled shyly at the praise, unused to so much attention. "Oh I heard one of the portraits talking about it last night," he said in what he thought was an airy tone.

"Remus!" a voice hailed him from a side chamber just outside the Great Hall.

Sharing a confused look with the other boys, Remus poked his head around the corner and grinned. "Ms. Violet!" he cried out joyfully as he caught sight of her waving merrily at him from within a gilded frame in the center of the opposite wall. "This is the portrait I was telling you about," he whispered to them before he headed into the room.

"Remus! I was wondering when you would come and visit me!"

Remus opened his mouth to say that he really hadn't come that way to visit her, as she hadn't told him where her real portrait was, but that he was actually running very late to breakfast but, seeing the happy look on her face, he couldn't bear to disappoint her.

"Oi Remus, who's your friend?" Sirius asked as he and the other four came around the corner.

Friend? Remus frowned slightly. He didn't have friends-not with his condition. After all, friends could get hurt if they got too close. But he realized his real reason for avoiding people was rather selfish; he didn't want to make friends because _he_ could get hurt.

"Yoo-hoo, Remus?" James said, concerned at the distance in the other boy's blue eyes.

"Sorry, James," Remus said, shaking his head slightly to clear it as a small smile came over his face. "My _friend_ here is Violet." Maybe having a friend wouldn't be too bad after all.

"So who are these boys you've brought with you?" she asked eagerly, her keen eyes darting amongst the five faces.

"Well this is James Potter," he began pointing out each of them in turn. "Peter Pettigrew, Frank Longbottom, and Sirius Black."

At the mention of Sirius' name, Violet suddenly got very thoughtful. "Black…Black….now I know I've heard that name today. Oh yes!" she said, giggling and leaning forward eagerly. "Well I heard that a certain young boy by the name of Black got sorted into Gryffindor! Oh that's you, isn't it dear?" she added, glancing over at Sirius who nodded. "Well anyways, if that _is_ you dear, I heard a couple of students coming out of the Great Hall a few minutes ago talking about a Howler that someone sent him!"

Cursing under his breath, Sirius ran out of the room and burst into the Great Hall, his stormy grey eyes scanning the House Table for a scarlet envelope. As he seized it in his shaking hands, he realized with a jolt that it had already begun to smoke. Ripping off the top of the letter, he dropped it quickly on the table and stepped back as the angry voice of his mother filled the Great Hall.

"NASTY UNGRATEFUL BOY! AFTER ALL THE YEARS YOUR FATHER AND I PUT INTO YOU, TEACHING YOU HONOR, SHARING OUR WISDOM, TELLING YOU AND **TELLING** YOU TO NEVER EVER BESMIRCH THE _NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK_!"

The Great Hall had stilled and Sirius could feel every eye turned upon him. But he spun around, anger coloring his face as he heard a pair of voices raised in laughter in a shadowy corner behind him. Though he should have expected it, a part of him was surprised to see Bellatrix and Narcissa giggling and pointing at him from the Slytherin House table. Of course! His filthy good-for-nothing cousins had turned him in. _They_ were the reason for his embarrassment. Sirius felt his face burning with anger and shame, shame that he had ever felt anything toward the creatures before him who laughed at his misery but hate.

"AND THEN THE FIRST CHANCE YOU GET TO PROVE YOURSELF YOU GO OFF AND GET SORTED INTO **GRYFFINDOR** OF ALL PLACES! FILLED WITH 

BLOOD-TRAITORS, MUDBLOODS, AND SCUM! EVERYTHING WE'VE TRIED TO TEACH YOU TO AVOID.

DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS-WE WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO CONTAMINATE YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER REGULUS. _HE_, AT LEAST, IS STILL A GOOD BOY."

Sirius barely registered when the letter exploded in a burst of flames that grazed his face, singeing his eyebrows. Nor did he notice when James led him over to a bench and sat him down. His family didn't want him. He knew he shouldn't care-that it was stupid to care. But they were his _family_, and as much as he told himself it didn't, deep down that still mattered to him.

After the howler exploded, most of the hall quieted down, returning to their porridge or the paper. Only the four boys from Gryffindor were left to comfort their new friend. But mostly the task fell to James who, used to being somewhat looked after himself, understood the principle of the thing best and went about filling Sirius' goblet up with pumpkin juice and ladling porridge into his bowl. But it was when James, trying to bring a laugh back into the mix, attempted to spoon porridge into his friend's mouth (Siwius, heaw comes da Choo-choo!) that things turned ugly; Sirius smacked the spoon away sending the contents splattering across Peter's front.

As Remus handed the small boy a napkin, Sirius rose angrily from the table and began stalking over to give his cousins a piece of his mind when someone behind him shouted, "Oi Black!" Sirius whirled around and caught a faceful of porridge.

Scraping it off with a hand, his face went from flushing pale white in surprise to a livid scarlet as he saw the spoon in James' hands; hatred burning in his grey eyes as he advanced on his classmate. "Well if it isn't Perfect, Precious Potter," Sirius snarled in a voice that was harsh and cold, his hands becoming cruel claws as he seized the front of the smaller boy's robes and hauled him to his feet, pulling him halfway across the table.

Something within Sirius had snapped and his usually cool and calm exterior had been replaced by some sort of demon-a being that wanted to rip and tear and smash and utterly destroy the things around him because-and none of this had actually formed into a conscious thought-maybe if he made everything around him as broken up and miserable on the outside as he felt within then maybe, just maybe, the betrayal wouldn't hurt so much.

It was just unlucky, now, for James, that he had tempted the wrath of the beast with a spoonful of porridge.

"Mr. Black you put that boy down right this minute!" a stern voice called from up the table and he turned quickly around, letting go of James as he saw Professor McGonagall marching down the table to them.

"I come over here bearing your course schedules and what do I see? Violence," she sounded shocked. "Regardless of whether this was your first howler or not, Mr. Black, I do not think that this show of aggression was quite necessary. And _you_," she added, rounding on James and glaring at him over the top of her spectacles as she began to hand them their schedules. "I don't think a faceful of porridge was quite the right line either. Five points each from Gryffin-" she glanced back toward the front of the Great Hall where the hourglasses which recorded the house points stood and said, "Well I suppose that won't do much good seeing as Gryffindor does not yet have any house points this term. So," she started, turning back toward them. "That'll be detention for the both you you-Thursday at 6 o'clock, my office. Ah-no buts, MR. Potter." She added in response to James' opening mouth. "I think a detention will do you boys good."

At this, Sirius shot a scathing look over at his cousins and slid into a seat, his back to them all as he examined his schedule in the aisle. James, meanwhile, brooded over his on top of the table, his back to Sirius.

"Hum," Lupin said, sighing over the schedule as he scanned it, chancing a quick glance at the two boys. He felt conflicted himself, he cared for both of the boys but if they were going to feud like this-he wasn't sure which one he was going to follow. He wanted to connect with the two of them, more than he'd wanted to connect with anyone else he'd met before but what if they never got back together?

"So…double transfiguration this afternoon…should be…fun," Frank said trying to break the silence.

"Yeah if you like turning hedgehogs into pincushions," James muttered.

"Oh no!" Peter groaned. "On our first day? That sounds awful!"

"Now Peter," Remus said smiling gently. "I really don't think we'll be doing anything that complex for months. Years even," he added, pleased when the smaller boy smiled in return.

"I suppose not," he said, nodding. "So it's History of Magic and Charms this morning and then after lunch we've got a break before Transfiguration!" Though classes hadn't even started, Peter couldn't help but feel excited about a break from his studies.

"Come on, Alice! We're almost there." A voice called from outside the Great Hall, wafting in through the open door. Not two seconds later two girls rushed in looking much disheveled.

Lily and Alice took seats next to Frank at the table with Lily across from him. And as Alice began buttering pieces of toast, she leaned over Frank's shoulder just a little bit to read his schedule.

Frank, sensing a presence, turned his head and nearly toppled over backwards in surprise. "Alice!" he said, blushing.

"Well you seemed busy," she said, smiling as she handed Lily the piece of toast and picked up another as Lily filled their goblets with a hand. "We had just the most hectic morning, didn't we Lily dear?"

Lily, whose mouth was full of toast, merely nodded and tapped Peter on the shoulder, motioning to look at his schedule, muttering her thanks as he pushed it in front of her.

"Really?" Frank asked, turning a bit toward the girls. There was too much drama going on at the other side of their little group for his taste and the girls seemed nice enough.

"Oh yes!" Alice said her voice muffled as she took a big bite of toast.

"Well we got around with plenty of time to spare," Lily took over as Alice was hard at work munching away on her slice of toast. "But somehow or another we ended up going down a side corridor or some such thing and we asked a portrait for directions and _he_ said to just keep going the same direction and we'd end up there in no time."

"But instead we just went around in this big circle," Alice chimed in. "Until **finally** we ended up on the Grand Staircase. But we were only on the 5th floor landing so we had to run all the way down and we only just got down here," she added shooting a reproving glance toward the door to the Great Hall.

"Well you know; if you work it just right, the staircases will actually move around. That's how we got down here," Frank added.

"Hey Lily!"

Lily looked up from the schedule when she heard her named and grinned. "Oh hi, Sev!"

"Hi," the greasy haired boy said, smiling back. "So did you see that we have Potions together right before lunch?"

"Oh?" she scanned Peter's schedule, her smile widening. "No I hadn't noticed that. But that's good right? I told you we'd have some classes together."

"Oi Snivellus, you forget to wash your hair this morning? Or is the grease so thick on those locks of yours it just runs right off?" A cold voice sneered a few rows down and they all turned to stare at Sirius.

A slight color rose in Severus' cheeks and he was about to reply when Lily stood up from the table. "Let's go, you two," she said and, flicking her mane of red hair over her shoulder, strode briskly out of the Great Hall.

Alice grabbed another piece of toast and flashed Frank a smile. "You want to come?"

"Sure," he said, blushing as he rose from the table and followed the other three out.

"I'm going too," James said abruptly, rising from the table. Peter followed suit, but Remus remained seated, earning him a look from James. "You coming, Remus?"

"No, I don't think I am, James," he said softly, staring at Sirius who was still apparently focused on his schedule like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Suit yourself," James said, trying not to show that he would much rather prefer that Remus not 'waste his time' on Black and stick with him. He merely sighed and grabbed his schedule. "Suppose we'll need our things?" he asked Peter on his way out of the Great Hall.

"You should have gone with him," Sirius growled, lifting his grey eyes to Remus' face.

"James can take care of himself," Remus said, flicking a hand dismissively as he reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"What and I can't?" Sirius asked angrily, spinning on his seat to face Remus dead on.

"Well, it's not that per se," Remus said carefully. "It's just that I think you need a friend right now more than he does."

Sirius' mouth opened and closed. "Come on," he said, rising quickly from the table. "We'd better get our things out of the dormitory before class starts."

And with that, Remus followed his new friend? out of the Great Hall and began the long walk back up to their Tower.

--

_End Note: Hopefully there wasn't too much excessive drama. I think I get a little bit like that when I write really intense moments...and for me...Sirius dealing with his Howler was an intense moment and I'm not entirely sure why. But I hope that you all enjoyed it._


	9. First Day

"Welcome to History of Magic!" Professor Binns said from the front of the classroom as he stared expressionlessly back at the excited faces before him. They'd never heard of a ghost teaching a class before.

The noises of a hushed dispute just outside the door broke the deathly silence in the room and Professor Binns looked up over the top of his notes and raised an eyebrow. Something rather interesting for the students to see as the man's whitish eyebrow disappeared into the overall generic pearly whiteness of his skin.

James amused himself, and Peter, by attempting to do the same-succeeding only in looking quite deranged which, of course, looked rather funny and sent Peter into a fit of shrill giggles which gave the growing noise of the conflict outside a run for control of the room.

"Now look what you've done, Sirius!" a boy was saying. "We're _late_."

"Well if you'd let me change my knickers this morning, Remus, this wouldn't have been quite the issue now would it have been?"

At this, Alice clapped a hand over her mouth as she fought to stifle her own laughter. Several of the other students, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike, were also red-faced with the effort to keep silent.

"Mr. Sniffles, the door if you wouldn't mind."

Severus, blushing, wrenched open the door to reveal Sirius, flushed and hot-tempered, and Remus, whose hand had actually been on the doorknob followed it into the room.

"Oi Remus," James called amidst his own laughter and pointed to the empty table beside them.

As Remus Lupin sat down between James and Sirius, James whispered, "Binns just called Snape Mr. Sniffles."

Remus couldn't help but smile as Professor Binns reigned in the class.

"Students, please!" he said in an effort to calm himself, but shot a less than amused glance at Sirius and Remus none-the-less. "You'll need parchment, quills, and ink for today's lesson."

The class collectively groaned, already History of Magic sounded rather dull and indeed, the excitement at the very beginning was the only really interesting thing that happened the entire class period. The rest of it was taken up by a thoroughly boring 

lecture on the importance of the Secrecy Acts and how early wizards who thought the restrictions and regulations beneath them had generally met rather sticky ends.

As the bell rang, Remus prodded Sirius awake with the tip of his quill just in time to catch the Professor saying, "A roll of parchment as to _why_ you are forbidden to do magic around muggles, and which of the Secrecy Acts is, in your opinion, most important, as well as a short essay on the wizard of your choice whom we discussed in class today. I will expect these no later than after lunch on Monday."

James hastily departed the room with Peter in tow, headed off to Charms. Apparently he hadn't forgiven Sirius for his behavior at breakfast.

Noticing this, Remus immediately launched into how nice it was of Professor Binns to give them a weekend at least as Sirius stowed his mostly blank piece of parchment that he'd attempted to take notes on before the droning voice of Professor Binns had put him to sleep.

"Next time we sit in the back, eh?" he asked Remus as they headed up to the third floor for charms.

"You could probably sit wherever you like if you get there early enough," Remus said, a slight smile coming over his face.

"Oh look, a comedian," Sirius said harshly and the smile slid from Remus' face.

"Look Sirius," he said as they passed the second floor landing. "I'm not the one who sent you that howler." He winced as a shadow passed over the other boy's face. "But you can't get people to know the real you if you don't open up to them."

"What if they don't like me?" he asked softly. "My idiot family doesn't even like me."

"Sirius, no offense, but your family doesn't exactly seem like they are nicest people."

At this, surprisingly, he grinned and clapped a hand on Remus' shoulders and laughed, though not as warmly as he had in the tower that morning, Remus decided it was a start and smiled in return.

"You know what, Remus. You're right. I never liked them much anyhow," he added a bit loudly, as if trying to convince himself of it as well.

They halted in front of the open Charms door and Sirius strode inside with a smile on his face, he was going to start this class, at least, off on the right foot.

Picking a table with a boy and girl from Hufflepuff, he and Remus sat down and introduced themselves.

"Oh, you got that howler didn't you?" the girl asked. "Your mother was awfully cruel, saying those things. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with Gryffindor or Hufflepuff for that matter. I'm Mary," she added, smiling shyly, her long honey-brown locks drifting over her face. "Mary MacDonald."

"And I'm Caradoc," the boy said, offering them his hand. "Caradoc Dearborn. And I agree with Mary. Well said," he added, touching her shoulder lightly, unaware of the color that rose delicately on her cheeks.

"Welcome to Charms!" a tiny man said merrily from the front of the room.

Looking up at him, James chuckled as he saw that the Professor had to stand on a pillar of precariously balanced Charms books in order to be seen in the back of the room.

"I am Professor Flitwick and I am quite sure that you all will have a very smashing first term here at Hogwarts! And I would like to encourage all of you to join Charms Club," he added, beaming at them all hopefully. "If you are interested, we can deal with that after class. Now then," he said, searching for his wand amid the clutter on his desk. "You'll need your wands as well as the Standard Book of Spells Grade One. Oh yes, the genuine article!" he added as he spotted the book on Remus desk.

"And I didn't even need to ask you, clever boy. Take five points for Gryffindor!"

"Well done mate, five points and you didn't even have to do anything," Sirius whispered, impressed.

"Well let's see…if someone down here in the front wouldn't mind turning the pages of their own copy…Ah yes…there we are. Page 37-_Wingardium Leviosa_. Now I'm sure that the book has everything you need to know about casting the spell. But they don't pay me to stand up here and have you all read a book, now do they?"

This earned him a laugh from the class and the tiny man's smile widened. "Now then, _Wingardium Leviosa_ is not a difficult spell in and of itself. However, the motion that allows you to _cast_ the spell can be challenging. Oh here it is!" he added, his wrinkled fingers seizing the handle of his wand. "Now if you wouldn't mind Mr.-"

"Potter," James said, scooting back from the table.

"Yes. Mr. Potter indeed," he said, nodding at his untidy black hair. "Now then, you take the wand in your hand like so," he said, displaying his pencil-like grip. "And you simply swish and flick!"

Mary started at the quick gesture and nearly dropped her wand in surprise.

"Everyone try it with me now-swish…and flick!"

Several people's wands, including Mary's, clattered to the floor.

"Oh dear! Too much flick, not enough swish, I'm afraid," he said, his smile still as encouraging as ever. "Now let's try it again!"

And as the students swished and flicked, Professor Flitwick was pleased to see that almost nobody dropped their wands, though a couple people did loss their grip and send it flying into the person next to them.

"Don't worry about that," he added encouragingly to Mary whose hand was shaking so badly she had dropped her wand without the 'help' of the swish and flick.

Caradoc patted her arm lightly and whispered, "Just relax, Mary. I know you can do this." She nodded and took a deep calming breath, appearing to regain a bit of her composure.

Believing the situation at his own table to be under control, Remus chanced a glance down at James to see how he and Peter were faring. He was surprised at how well James was handling Peter's insecurities while he himself was, not so surprisingly, performing the gesture with almost textbook perfection.

"Now let's all try it once more."

The class raised their wands and this time, not a single wand fell to the floor.

"Oh well done, well done!" Professor Flitwick said, clapping his hands.

Peter, startled by his own success, promptly dropped his wand which spit a jet of scarlet flames which ignited the Professor's desk.

"_Aguamenti_!" Flitwick squeaked as Peter retrieved his wand, a stream of water issuing from his own wand, effectively drowning the fire. As he hopped down from his chair to examine the damage, he smiled and waved a profusely apologizing Peter away. "That's quite alright, boy. Happens more often than you might think," he added kindly. "Although it usually isn't fire…nor that magnificent color-"

A student near the back of the room cleared his throat rather loudly and Professor Flitwick looked up, apparently surprised to see them all looking at him expectantly. "Oh yes! _Wingardium Leviosa_. Well the feathers should prove challenging enough for now," he said, motioning for them to start.

A rousing chorus of _Wingardium Leviosa!_ quickly filled the room as the first years pointed their wands at their feathers swishing and flicking with gusto.

On her second attempt, Lily Evans sent the feather soaring into the air. "Oh I did it!" she cried, and in her excitement, lost focus and the feather drifted back down onto the desk. But not before Professor Flitwick saw it.

"Oh very good, Ms. Evans! Take ten points for Gryffindor for such a speedy cast."

"Look at you, Lily!" Alice said, impressed as her own feather did a kind of half-hearted flop before settling back down on the desk.

"Well Ollivander _did_ say that my wand was right for charm work. Very springy, he said."

"Oh really?" Alice asked, curious, as a small cheer went up from nearer the front of the room as James Potter's feather took flight, soaring over and smacking Sirius Black on the nose.

"Oi what was that for?" Sirius growled over Flitwick's happy shout of 'Well done. Ten points to you as well Mr. Potter.

"Just thought it'd be funny," James said, smiling as his feather tickled Sirius on the nose and the other boy sneezed, blowing the feather back toward James.

"Oh I'll show you funny, Potter," Sirius grumbled. "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Sirius' feather soared into the air, across the room, and began tickling every part of James it could reach. Waving his wand like a conductor, Sirius smiled coldly. "Now that, Potter, is humor."

"Oh and Mr. Black as well! Surely Gryffindor won't win all the House Points today? I'll give out five to every student who can at least get a feather in the air!" he said, frowning slightly as James smacked into his desk, doubled over with laughter. "Now really, Mr. Black, I do think he has had quite enough."

"Really, Professor?" Sirius said, a hungry gleam in his eyes.

"Sirius." Remus' voice was soft but there was an edge to it that made Sirius look at him.

"Well alright, Remus, be a killjoy," he muttered as the feather came soaring back over and began doing loop-de-loops above their table.

"Well someone needs to pull you two off each other," he said simply, his own feather fluttering a couple inches off the table before he set it down to see how Mary and Caradoc were faring.

Mary was doing much better, he noticed, smiling at her which, sadly, only made her flustered and her feather spontaneously burst into flame. "Oh _now_ look what I've done!" she moaned, embarrassed.

"No trouble at all, dear," Professor Flitwick said, handing her another feather. "That happens even more often than my desk catching on fire," he said, tipping her a small wink, beaming at her when she laughed. "That's the ticket, Ms. MacDonald," he said as he moved over to another table that was full of Hufflepuffs.

The rest of Charms was relatively uneventful and when the bell rang, the students needed telling from Professor Flitwick that it was time for them to pack up and head down for lunch. Smiling and chattering amongst themselves, the class headed down to the Great Hall together.

"See you later, Remus, Sirius!" Mary said, waving shyly as she and Caradoc headed over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Yeah, good meeting you," Sirius said, returning her wave with a rare, genuine, smile. "So I wonder what's for lunch?" he added as they sat down at the far end of the table, farthest away from James as possible Remus noticed.

"Do you always think about your stomach?" Remus asked him, amused.

"Only when I'm hungry," he replied helping himself to a bowl of blood sausage.

"Which is how often?" Remus asked, trying to avoid looking at the strange looking food on his friend's plate as he made himself a sandwich.

"Oh only all the time," Sirius said, laughing as he grabbed a bit from every tray, dish, and platter within the reach of his long arms piling his plate high with everything from eggs to beef wellington. "You know," he said through a bite of the beef. "I really don't know why they have this for lunch. But it's bloody good."

"If you'd said that about the sausages, you could've made a joke," Remus said dryly, attempting not to notice the small bit of food that had landed on the table between them and chose to put a basket of rolls over it.

Deciding, however, that this wasn't quite fair to the rolls, he helped himself to one, spreading jam upon it and taking very small bites from it so as not to be impolite.

Sirius blinked, eyeing his friend's slim plate with his own large helping of well, everything, and frowned. "That's all you're eating is it?"

"Well I'm not very hungry."

"Not very-" Sirius almost choked on a bit of blood sausage and took a swig of pumpkin juice to clear his throat. "Goodness, you eat like a rabbit."

"Does it bother you that I'm not hungry?" Remus asked, studying Sirius' face with some interest, trying not to smile.

"Well it's just not normal is it? I mean, a growing lad's got to eat sometime, right? D'you want to stay small and skinny forever?"

"No…but I do intend to eat when I'm hungry!"

Sirius threw up his hands. "I just don't understand you, Remus," he said, a small smile spreading across his features. "But I guess that just leaves more food for me, doesn't it?"


	10. After Lunch

_Author's Note: Sorry guys, I think I got a bit dramatic in this chapter also! If you think it's too much, let me know and I'll see if I can't think of some way to tone it down. Also, if you think it's just right (or even not enough) I'd be happy to hear that as well. I get the feeling I don't have a very good dramatic moment gauge built in so I can certainly use all the feedback I can get. :)_

_--_

"So what should we do now?" James asked, leaning back from the table-completely stuffed.

"We could…go out onto the grounds," Peter said, looking nervously up at James.

"Yeah, yeah we could do that," James said, looking down the table to where Sirius and Remus were laughing and talking together. They could've been down there too if he'd just _apologized_ to Peter for splattering him with porridge. What was so hard about saying you were sorry anyhow? "Let's go," he added as he caught Remus looking up the table at them.

They headed out to the grounds and James spotted a nice big tree by the side of the Black Lake. "Let's head over there," he said, pointing to it.

They were halfway across the meadow when James heard a voice call his name. Turning around, he was surprised to see a gaggle of students, mostly sixth years, with Sirius' cousins among them.

"Oh this boy?" Bellatrix asked, giggling. "He's a friend of my cousin," she added, a hand reaching for her wand.

"No, Bella. Let me deal with them," a tall boy with white-blonde hair and a shiny green Prefect's Badge plastered on the front of his robes said, drawing his own wand. "I hear from a member of my house that you have been less than respectful toward him."

"Your house?" James asked, his hazel eyes narrowing. "Funny-I don't think it has your name on it."

"Why you cheeky little-"

"Leave them alone!" James turned around and caught sight of Emmeline Vance and Edgar Bones running across the field over to them, wands out.

"Malfoy, what the bloody hell do you think you're doing? You're a prefect for Pete sakes!" Edgar shouted red in the face as he dodged a spell from a member of Malfoy's gang.

"Get behind me," he said sternly, stepping in front of Peter and James as Emmeline, a step behind him, put a protective barrier between them and the Slytherins.

"Edgar, get in here!" she shouted, her voice muffled by the shield charm.

"I think, Bones, that I am exercising a little discipline on a couple of our young colleagues," he said, a nasty smile drifting over his face as he looked behind him, his grey eyes meeting James'.

"Leave them alone," Edgar repeated, blocking the two younger boys from view even as Emmeline mirrored the action behind him, wand drawn in case the shield failed.

"This isn't your fight, Bones. This is between Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"Damned if it isn't!" he said hotly and Emmeline covered her mouth, she'd never heard Edgar use such language before. "You or your gang pick on anyone in this school, Malfoy, and it's my fight," he said, tapping the Head Boy badge on his chest and aiming his wand at the sixth year.

He had had enough of him and his gang, he'd heard rumors from members of his own house as to what they'd been getting up to last year and none of it was good; hexing students out of their way in the halls, handing out detentions if someone so much as looked at them wrong. Why Dumbledore had given the job of Prefect to scum like Malfoy was beyond him. But Slytherin had to have some prefects, he supposed, no matter how much they abused their powers.

"Well Bones, are you going to fight me, or not?" Malfoy taunted, inclining his head toward him in a small bow, inviting him to a duel.

"Just you or is your gang involved?"

"My…_gang _did you call them?" he asked, a half-smile sliding on to his face. "Will keep their wands down; this one is just you and me, Bones. I hope you're ready for it."

"Oh too ready," Edgar said, bowing, straightening quickly as he felt a spell shoot over his back to smack into the shield behind him. He flashed a very worried looking Emmeline a small smile before turning back into the fight a hungry look coming into his usually warm brown eyes. Malfoy was going to pay, once and for all.

But when Edgar was blasted off his feet moments later, Emmeline turned to James and said, "Get McGonagall, this is going too far."

James grit his teeth, his hand tightening over his wand as Malfoy began a sort of tap dance and toppled to the ground, his legs still kicking madly.

"James!"

"No, I want to watch!" he said fiercely and Emmeline turned to Peter in desperation and the small boy ran off, heading back to the castle as fast as his small legs could carry him.

"Come on, Bones, surely that's not the best you can do?" Malfoy hissed, ending the jinx on his legs, and swung his wand down in a quick slashing motion.

Edgar clapped a hand across his wand arm where blood was beginning to flow freely and aimed a stinging hex at Malfoy and as disfiguring and undoubtedly painful boils spread over his face, the rest of his gang leapt to action as Edgar fired a well aimed Bat-bogey hex at them. But he didn't come away empty handed for his cheek as Narcissa shrieked and hit Edgar with a jelly-legs jinx and he sank slowly to the ground, looking rather surprised.

"That's quite enough of that!" a stern voice called and Malfoy looked toward the new voice, wand raised as he covered his face with a hand.

"I'll be taking that from you, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said and caught Malfoy's wand as it flew out of his hand.

"Edgar!" Emmeline called, rushing to his side as the shield she'd cast crumbled around them.

"See, Emm, I knew you cared," he said, smiling weakly, as she hauled him to his feet, shocked to see the blood dripping from his robes.

"Professor!" she called worriedly as she rolled back the sleeve to see the deep gash on his forearm.

McGonagall took one look and said, "Hospital wing, Bones. See he gets there, Ms. Vance?"

Emmeline nodded and draped his uninjured arm about her shoulder and they departed for the castle, moving across the lawn as fast as Emmeline could manage with the weight. _Boys_! she thought angrily, shaking her head.

"Now then, Mr. Potter, Mr. Pettigrew, I would be most interested in hearing your part in this," she said, rounding on them.

"Well we were just out here on the grounds," James began.

"-minding our own business."

"Yes, minding our own business when Malfoy and his gang show up and start talking about somebody or other that we apparently offended. Honestly I have no idea who he's talking about," James added.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "I doubt you do," she said shortly. "Did they-?" she looked from the second wand in her hand to them and James shook his head.

"Oh no, not even. They'd just begun to get nasty when Emm and Ed showed up. She put up this protective barrier thing and Ed basically told them to lay off or else when they attacked him."

"Right," Professor McGonagall said, turning back to the Slytherins. "I am absolutely appalled by your behavior!" she said, anger coloring her voice as they stared back at her haughtily. "You are, several of you, among the brightest students in your year. Make no mistake, I _will_ be notifying your head of house and you all can have detention with me on Monday, which stands no matter what Professor Slughorn decides to do with you."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes menacingly. "My _father_-"

"Your father would be interested in knowing the grade you received on your last essay, Mr. Malfoy," she said, returning him his wand, satisfied that something she had said had finally punctured his cool exterior.

"Now then, back to the castle with you two," she said, motioning for Peter and James to walk in front of her as she cast an angry glance back toward the Slytherins who were now talking quietly amongst themselves, shooting hate-filled glances at James and Peter's backs. "I'm late to my own class," she muttered, and hurried past them.

Remus and Sirius who had played a few games of Wizard's Chess in the Great Hall against Mary and Caradoc, looked up at the collective scraping of chairs, surprised to see a rather large group of Slytherins leaving their table and heading out onto the grounds with Snape at their head.

"That looks like trouble," Sirius said airily and the two Hufflepuffs turned to see the Slytherins slinking out of the door.

"Got that right," mate, Caradoc said as he pushed one of his pawns onto the last square on the far side of the board. "King me!" he said, grinning.

"That's checkers, dear," a feminine voice said and Sirius was surprised to see Alice slide onto the bench next to him. "Lily decided to get started on that essay for Binns," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Sounds like Evans," Sirius muttered, flipping the pawn over onto its' flat head where it protested rather loudly.

"This is not my idea of being queened!" It called out in a deep male voice which sent the first years into giggles. "What is so funny?" It demanded, glaring at them all upside-down.

"It's just…I've never met a queen with such a deep voice before," Caradoc said between laughs.

"Well I've never seen such a terrible chess player!" the little man said, shaking his fist in what should have been a menacing gesture…but really only turned out to add to the hilarity as he smacked his hand onto the board and uttered a stream of rather choice curses.

"Oh dear," Mary said, blushing even as the bell rang, drowning out the foul words of the chess pawn.

"That's enough out of you," Sirius said, picking up the little man and chucking him into the velvet bag in which he carried his chess set. "Don't know where he learned words like that, cheeky little fellow."

"I couldn't imagine where," Remus said loftily, grinning at Sirius as the five of them headed back to the grand staircase to go to Transfiguration.

Frank joined them just outside the Great Hall and Sirius looked at him in surprise. His face was flushed and he looked sweaty as if he'd just run a lap around the grounds. "James and Peter…have you heard?"

At their blank stares, Frank thought not, but then again how could they when it had just happened. "They were attacked!" he said, catching his breath. "Oh no," he added at the stricken looks on Mary and Alice's faces. "Nothing like that, they're alright. It's just that that Snape kid, you know the one you made fun of this morning? Well he sent a bunch of Slytherins on James when he was out in that meadow just by the lake. They said some nasty things but the head boy and girl stepped in just in the nick of time."

"Oh Edgar? He's alright, isn't he," Mary asked, concerned.

"And what about Emmeline? She alright too, isn't she?"

Frank nodded. "As good a shape as you can be after a duel with Slytherins."

Mary gasped. "Oh _no_. Edgar!"

"As far as I could tell, he had them all get behind him and fought them all off while Emmeline held up some sort of invisible wall between the three of them. She sent Peter off to get McGonagall after they knocked Ed down the first time," he added.

Mary looked like she was near tears and Sirius draped an arm about her shoulders while Caradoc whispered in her ear.

"I know," she said worriedly, almost tripping at the top of the flight of stairs they'd just climbed. "It's just that this is our first real day here and the Slytherins are already being awful."

"Yeah well, that's what they do," Sirius said, a bit of the morning's temper bleeding into his voice as they turned down the Transfiguration Corridor. His hand tightened on her shoulder as he thought about whether his cousins had been involved, knowing instinctively that they had been.

"Uh Sirius?" Mary said softly and he turned to look at her, his hand falling away from her quickly and disappearing into one of the pockets of his robes as they entered the classroom.

"Right, sorry Mary," he said as he held the door open for his little group to enter, he himself following as a sort of rear, casting a suspicious glance about the corridor before entering.

Remus chuckled. "Think Slytherins are hiding behind every corner, now, do you?"

Sirius shook his head, not taking the joke. "I don't trust my cousins, is more like it."

Remus nodded understandingly and went to sit at a table near the front.

"Remus?" a soft voice called and he turned to see Mary waving at him from her table.

"Isn't it full?" he asked, softly, not looking at the chairs but at Lily, Alice, Caradoc, and Mary who were already seated.

"Nah, this fellow holds six," Caradoc said, running a hand across the cherry wood finish of the table with a pleased smile on his face.

"Oh. Alright then," Remus said and seated himself across from Mary who was seated beside Lily.

His blue eyes caught the face she made as the two boys sat down and was confused for a moment until Alice whispered, "He was perfectly nice on the way up here, Lily. Just because he said something mean about Severus' hair this morning doesn't make him a bad person. And besides, your darling Slytherin set his mates on his friends, this afternoon."

Lily's eyes widened in disbelief. "Sev wouldn't do something like that," she said, beginning to protest as the door to the Transfiguration Room was flung open and a rather flustered looking Professor McGonagall entered, followed by Peter and James.

"Sorry about my lateness, class. I had a small matter of discipline to take care of. Now then," she added, scooping up a piece of chalk from her desk and turning to an old-fashioned chalkboard easel and began to write on it, glad of something to do with her hands.

_Transfiguration_ the board now read.

"Transfiguration is the art of changing something into something else. Like a piece of chalk into a pen," she said and, with a slight jab of her wand-the piece of chalk became a pen which she tossed onto the desk. "Or," she added, putting her wand down onto the table. "A human into an animal." And, almost as quickly as the words were out of her mouth, a tabby cat walked out from underneath the desk; familiar spectacle markings around it's' eyes.

As she resumed her human form, she smiled slightly amidst the impressed applause from her class. "That," she added, picking up a fresh piece of chalk. "Is called _Animagi Transformation_," she said, underlining the words before continuing. "It is a very difficult branch of magic that I will not even begin to discuss with you until your fifth year when you enter your NEWT level courses, provided your marks are high enough then to continue on with Transfiguration."

"Today," she said, walking over to a cabinet and pulling out what looked like a shoebox, the contents of which rattled as she brandished it at a nearby student, bidding him to pass out whatever was inside to his classmates. "You will have but two hours to practice turning these matches," she held up one for them to see. "Into needles."

Not bothering to write with the chalk this time, she merely pointed her wand at the blackboard which now read:

_Transfiguration_

_Animagi Transformation_

_Today's Lesson: Matches into Needles_

"If you'll turn to your books, Mr. Switch has an adequate entry on how to go about doing this. I, however, will be available to answer any questions you might have."

James silently wished that he never had to ask Professor McGonagall a question as long as he lived. Peter apparently thought the same thing because he was flicking through his book so quickly that he actually ripped out a page.

"Here, Peter," James said kindly, reaching for the book.

"_Reparo,"_ Remus muttered, pointing his wand at the book.

James started as the page resealed itself in his hand and muttered his thanks as he caught Remus turning back around in his seat.

"Here ya go, Pete," he said, frowning slightly as he handed the book back.

"So how d'you reckon we do this?" Caradoc asked, staring at the match in front of him.

"Just jab the wand at it, I suppose," Sirius said, disinterestedly jabbing his wand at the thing and thinking about how lovely it would be to stab Bellatrix with something as sharp and dangerous as a needle. He laughed, continuing to prod the match with his wand as he imagined chasing her throughout Hogwarts, the object glinting silver in his hand.

"Oi, Sirius, I think you've done it, mate!" Remus said, impressed.

Lily frowned. "Give me that!" she snapped, seizing the shiny object from under Sirius' nose. "Ow!" she muttered, jamming her pricked finger in her mouth and offering the needle back to Sirius.

"Sorry about that, Evans," he muttered sheepishly. "Vindictive little bugger," he added, looking down at the needle which abruptly slid across his hand and lanced one of his own fingers. "Yowch, that hurt!" he cried, pulling the needle out and shutting it in his book. Sucking his wounded finger, he looked over at Lily and grinned, his mouth widening around the finger in his mouth.

Lily couldn't help herself. Black looked like such a goofy idiot grinning like that that she burst into a fit of giggles herself, looking thoroughly mortified when Professor McGonagall bore down on their table, lips pursed.

"Where is your match, Mr. Black? And why are we sucking our fingers, Ms. Evans? I was under the impression I was teaching eleven year olds, not infants."

"Well," Lily quickly pulled her finger out of her mouth and wrapped it in the hem of her robe. "Sirius seems to have conjured a particularly vicious needle. It, well, bit me…for lack of a better word, Professor."

"You successfully transfigured your match into a needle, Black?" Professor McGonagall said, raising her eyebrows in surprise. That had to be a new record for a beginning student.

Sirius nodded. "I sort of jabbed it with my wand and kept thinking of needles until Remus over here interrupted me and…there was the needle," he added pointing to his empty workspace.

"May I _see_ this needle, Mr. Black?"

Sirius blushed, reaching for his book, _Transfiguration for Beginners_, and began to flick through the pages until he uncovered the shiny needle lying deceptively calm in the middle of the page. But as she reached for it, he slammed the book shut. "I won't do that Professor," he said in response to her angered look.

"Mr. Black, I cannot properly assess the completeness of your transfigured needle unless I handle it _myself_!" she said, seizing the book from him and flicking through the pages until she saw the shining needle lying on the page. It looked like it was asking to be picked up and she obliged, turning it over in her hands, a frown crossing her face as it slipped and sliced a narrow gash across her palm, much like a paper cut. Sirius winced when he saw that and the others began to busy themselves with their own matches. "Just exactly what about needles were you thinking, Mr. Black?" she asked evenly, sealing the cut with her wand.

"I-I was thinking about my cousins. I heard about that incident with Edgar and I was…angry I suppose."

McGonagall nodded as if that had been the answer she'd been hoping for. "Very well," she said, sighing. "News does travel fast around here, doesn't it?"

The rest of Transfiguration went off without a hitch, though many people received homework from McGonagall for failing to transfigure their matches in the two hours.

"Don't worry, Mary. I'm sure that you'll get loads of help from your House this weekend," Remus said, attempting to console her as they headed down to dinner. "Or I suppose you could meet us in the library tomorrow," he added looking over at Sirius who started.

"Why the library?" he asked, confused.

"We _do_ have two essays due on Monday. And I'm sure Peter could use the time to practice transfiguration as well," he said patiently as they entered the Great Hall.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Maybe!" she said, smiling. "Have a good dinner!"

"You too," Lily said, also waving at the departing Hufflepuff pair. "You know," she said sitting beside Remus (mostly because it was far away from James Potter). "If you boys are busy with Peter, I'm sure that Alice and I wouldn't mind tutoring Mary, would we Alice?" she asked, consulting her friend who had just taken a large helping of mashed potatoes.

"What? Oh no, no of course not. Besides, I didn't get it quite right either. Apparently my needle 'lacked appropriate luster' or some such nonsense. Either way, if I can't scrape a proper needle together by Monday, I'll probably be hearing from Mum about how Gid always did brilliantly in Transfiguration…and then she'll probably write him and I'll get this dull letter about the fact that he's off doing something important and doesn't have time to write out a Transfiguration Lesson and the letter is much longer that way, _I_ think, than if he'd just wrote out the advice like Mum asked him to in the first place! She does that a lot," she said in response to Sirius' wide-eyed stare.

"Oh look, Emm's back!" Remus said, waving to her. "Wonder if she's heard anything about Edgar yet?" he added, but his speculations were quickly drowned out by a cheer from the Hufflepuff table as their Head Boy limped into the Great Hall making a late entrance.

Among the well wishers and supporters, Remus was slightly surprised to see, was Sirius who gave a rather loud whoop upon seeing the lanky seventh year returning.

"Anyone who my cousins don't like is a friend to me," he said simply, busying himself with his pudding.

Remus sighed and looked over at Edgar for a moment, he was smiling, despite the massive bandage over his arm and then he turned his gaze back to Sirius who looked moody and cold as he stabbed at a piece of squash with his fork several times before he managed to spear it. It was strange, but there was so much about him that Remus felt he was missing out on, so much that he wasn't sure he'd ever understand…that was one thing that his day with Sirius Black had taught him. Another thing was that he realized that for once in his life, he wanted to be there for someone as much as other people had been there for him. Perhaps a loose cannon like Sirius would turn out to be good for him in the long run.

--

_End Note: I'm not sure I'll be able to get any writing time in tomorrow as I have a funeral to go to out of town, so there may not be an update tomorrow, depending. But once again, and I hope I'm not annoying you all by saying this so many times, but I really do appreciate everyone for reading this and I really honestly do hope that you all are having a good time. And also, if there's a character you'd like to see or just see more of, feel free to let me know (I know I've kind of been neglecting Snape...just not in my nature to include him. But he _has_ been in just about every chapter I think...even if he is doing sneaky, unpleasant things.)_


	11. A Little White Lie

_Author's Note: Thanks again to Saffygirl for another encouraging review. :) And thank you for everyone who's sticking with me and my fanfic! I managed to scrape together some time after I got back from the funeral and wrote this. So you all get a chapter today after all._

_--_

Today was not Remus' day. He woke up early, as usual, but feeling rather cranky and irritable. He woke James up for breakfast, not by the gentle shaking he had done the day before, but by pulling the covers off of his bed and allowing his indignant cries to wake up the rest of the boys. Immediately he felt sorry for it, but just couldn't seem to bite back a retort.

"Well I figured this was better than allowing Sirius to smack you silly," he said and strode out of the dormitory and down the stairs to the Common Room.

Casting himself onto one of the plush armchairs by the bookshelves, Remus frowned, trying to find some excuse for his bad mood when it hit him-tomorrow night was the full moon.

Remus was momentarily overcome by a felling of intense panic. In his happiness at being accepted, he'd allowed himself to relax-to forget about the very thing that set him apart from the other children. That made him-

"Yoo-hoo, Remus! Anybody home in there?"

Remus blinked, starting in surprise as he saw Sirius standing over him. "Where's James?"

"Now that is an interesting question," Sirius said, half-smiling.

"He's mad at me, isn't he?" Remus asked, sadly.

"Actually, I think he's a bit peeved with the both of us. It seems his bush with danger yesterday has put him in a bit of a mood," he added, rolling his grey eyes expressively.

"Oh," Remus said as he got up from the chair, eyes downcast.

"Hey cheer up, mate," Sirius said as they walked over to the Portrait Hole. "I've got the moody and depressed side of this relationship covered," he added as he leapt onto the flight of stairs that had ferried them to breakfast the previous morning, frowning as it remained motionless-even when Remus stepped aboard. "Maybe I didn't do it right?" he asked, looking over at Remus for advice.

Remus merely shrugged. "Ms. Violet and I aren't exactly sure how it works," he admitted.

"Well a fat lot of good that does," Sirius complained as he lost his footing jumping onto the steps from the landing and nearly tumbled down the stairs which remained unobligingly stationary.

"Looks like we're walking," Remus said and started down the stairs with Sirius close behind.

"D'you realize how many steps this is going to be?"

"It's good for you!" a wizard in a portrait on the mid-level landing said, cheerily.

"I'll show you what's good for you!" Sirius muttered angrily as the wizard just beamed at him and flashed him a thumbs up.

They were halfway down the next flight before the one they'd started with pulled away from the wall and shot down to the third floor.

"Oi! That would've been nice about a minute ago!" Sirius called down the well after it.

"Sirius, it's a flight of steps…I'm not sure it can hear you," Remus said softly as they passed the sixth floor landing. This was going to be a very long walk indeed.

James sighed as he, Frank, and Peter drifted into the Great Hall without Sirius or Remus. And why had Remus been so terrible this morning? With a cold laugh, he decided that it must just be a side effect of hanging around Sirius and took a seat near the middle of the table.

"And they aren't sending either one of them home?" an older girl was asking Emmeline, looking surprised.

"No," the Head Girl said, sounded disgusted, as she spooned jam onto a roll. "Slughorn argued that Malfoy was 'acting in accordance with his prefect duties-albeit in an unorthodox way' and let him off with a warning. He didn't even do anything about Narcissa jinxing Edgar or any of the others! It was like they weren't even involved," she added angrily, stuffing the roll into her mouth.

"That's mental!" James said angrily and the girls turned to stare at him in surprise. "Snape set those gits on us on purpose. We never said anything against him-that was Sirius!"

It was unfortunate that at that particular moment, Sirius and Remus were walking behind them to their seats at the far end of the table.

"What was that, Potter?" Sirius asked his voice deadly quiet.

James started and glared at Peter who was sitting across the table from him. "D'you mind warning a guy next time?" he hissed before turning to address Sirius. "Just saying that Snape should've gone after _you_ instead, Black."

Sirius blinked, that hadn't been quite the direction he'd thought that comment had been heading but bristled in response, already working up a good tirade to launch at James if he persisted. "Really? And why's that, Potter?"

"You were the only one of us making off comments about him."

Sirius flushed, opening his mouth to deny it as he replayed conversations over in his head. His mouth closed rather quickly as he realized that James was actually right on that count. "Yes but you laughed," he said sharply.

"What does that have to do with it? At least we didn't say anything," James said, going back to his earlier stance.

"If he wasn't too thrilled with my making comments, I bet he'd be just as angry at the people who found it funny, Potter."

James winced, he hadn't quite thought out his argument that far. Sirius did have a rather good point. "I still would've gone after you first."

"Well I was sitting right here, quite available for him or his new mates to have a go. I'd say he's got it out for you, James."

James' eyes widened in surprise. The fact that Snape might even have a real grudge against him hadn't occurred to him either. He fancied himself a rather likeable guy…people didn't hate likable guys did they?

Snickering at the blank expression on the other boy's face, Sirius shrugged. "Well I'm off to get me some breakfast," he said and began to continue on down the table.

"James, about this morning," Remus started, hanging back to speak to him.

"I understand," James said, staring pointedly at Sirius back.

Remus nodded, smiling slightly as he realized that James was blaming Sirius for his bad temper. Well as long as it wasn't the actual truth, Remus could handle that even though he knew Sirius would be less than amused if he found out.

"Have a good breakfast," he said before he hurried down the table to join Sirius who was already halfway through a piece of bacon and a slice of toast, alternating bites with the food in both hands. "So how long are you going to feud with James?" he asked, studying the other boy's face carefully.

"Until he apologizes," Sirius said stonily, taking a rather large gulp of pumpkin juice as he downed the last of the bacon and toast in one go. "So what's on the agenda today?"

"Well I told Mary we'd meet them in the library sometime this afternoon…but it couldn't hurt to get there a little early and get a head start on that essay before they come in to practice Transfiguration."

"Yeah, I suppose," Sirius said, casting a longing look toward the magical ceiling that was a bright, taunting blue, with a few puffy clouds floating lazily across it.

"We can go outside later," Remus said, shortly. He didn't trust Sirius on his own, nor did he expect his friend to do his homework unless pressured. Sirius hadn't been too concerned about having to write what Remus thought to be an incredible amount in only two days.

And, Remus was even more anxious about getting his work done now that he realized he wouldn't have Sunday evening to do it in. Shivering suddenly, he decided to steer the topic away from the weekend. "So what do you do at home?" he asked Sirius, wincing as he realized that may not have been the best subject to start with.

"Well we can't really play too much Quidditch because we leave in this block with a bunch of muggles around. Mother and Father wouldn't be too thrilled with my cousins or me tossing balls around in the back anyhow. They aren't thrilled about much that's fun," he added with a soft sigh. "Mostly it's just sitting and talking, or reading…but mostly there's a lot of staring at the ceiling when they aren't inviting family members to tea every other day or going out to balls. Ridiculously frilly things like that," he added with a small snort.

"Balls don't sound too horrible," Remus said. He'd never been to anything formal in his life. The most he'd seen his parents dressed up was when they went to an office party. And even then it was just his dad. His mum was too scared to leave him alone most weekends.

Sirius laughed that hard and cold laugh that Remus was beginning to dislike. "Oh you would be surprised," he said, dimly. "Get dolled up in a dress robe with tails and sit through a whole bunch of boring prattle from a mess of witches and wizards whose favorite subject is comparing the purity of their blood; 'My ancestors come from the purest bloodline in West Britain'," he mocked in a snooty tone. "Completely worthless," he added, slapping porridge down onto his plate.

Remus nodded sympathetically. Perhaps people who were well off weren't as happy as he'd thought. Sirius' home life didn't seem like much fun.

"No, I'm much happier here," Sirius said forcefully. "Even with idiots like Potter chucking porridge at my face-and that Snivellus shooting off his mouth-and those stupid 

cousins of mine-Oh but not you, 'Dromeda," he added, smiling at someone Remus couldn't see.

"Hello, Sirius," a soft voice said from somewhere above Remus' head and he turned around, catching sight of a tall girl who was nearly leaning over him. He coughed, returning his gaze back to the table and she blushed, sliding into a chair next to him. "Just thought I'd see how you were holding up," she added, studying his face.

"You and Remus!" Sirius said, shaking his head and taking a swig of pumpkin juice. "Remus, this is my cousin Andromeda," he added, smiling as Remus shook hands with his favorite cousin. "Don't worry, she may look like Bellatrix, but she's nothing like her…or the rest of the family."

"I'll take that as a compliment if you promise never to call me Andromeda again," she said, laughing.

"Alright," Sirius said. "But only to your face. Remus and I were just talking about home…and what we do in our spare time," he added as he took a couple bites of porridge, noticing that once again Remus was eating in a fashion he thought to be decidedly rabbit-like.

"I guess it's my turn," Remus said, smiling nervously. "Well, I'm an only child. We have a pretty big backyard I used to play in when I was little but I doubt my family could ever afford a nice enough broom for me to play Quidditch with," he added, flushing.

"That's fine!" Sirius said, grinning. "Now I have someone to watch the school games with."

Reassuring herself that Sirius was in good hands, Andromeda excused herself from their company and went back to her own friends.

"I don't know why she does that," Sirius muttered as he watched her laughing and joking with her fellow Ravenclaws.

"Does what?"

"That checking up on me thing…it's weird."

_Maybe she does it because she cares about you?_ Remus thought pointedly. "Dunno," he said, instead, shrugging. He didn't feel like setting his new friend off. "You finished yet?"

Sirius, who had just dumped even more food on his plate, shook his head.

"Alright, I'll head back up to the Common Room and get our things. Meet me in the library?"

"If I can find it," Sirius said, chuckling over a roll.

--

About twenty minutes later, Remus finally made it to the library, wincing as he lost his grip on Sirius' bag and dropped it on his foot.

"Remus!" Sirius hissed, hopping up from his table to assist him. "Why didn't you take anything out of here?" he asked as he hauled his schoolbag over to the table.

"I didn't want to go mucking about with your stuff," he panted, dragging his own bag over to the table.

"So what? You risked your neck carting this lot down the stairs?" Sirius whispered in disbelief as he picked up his friend's bag and slapped it on the table as well. "Geez, you didn't take anything out of this one either!"

"Actually, that one I did."

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise and he shook his head. As he began rummaging around in his bag for a roll of parchment and a quill, Remus caught the words 'impossible' and 'what does he have in there?'

"Well I stopped by the library last night after dinner and grabbed a couple books I thought would be useful," he said defensively, dipping his hand into his bag and pulling out a roll of parchment and a raven's feather quill. Setting them aside, he then pulled out not one book, or two, but four books on the subject of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Now that's just ridiculous!" Sirius said, flicking through the first one.

"I prefer the term helpful," Remus said to which Sirius chuckled and uncorked his ink bottle and began writing.

Unsure of how long they'd been there, Remus suddenly realized he had about three feet on the subject when Caradoc and Mary showed up, each with a match and a hopeful smile on their faces.

"Which did you pick as your favorite?" Sirius asked as he rolled up his own essay (which was only about half the size of Remus') and tucked it away into his bag.

"I thought that the Code of Wand use was worth discussing."

"Really," Sirius said, surprised, he'd found that one rather dull. "I chose the one where the Ministry stalks you and discussed how I felt if I wanted to live in a tree outside a muggle's house I'd like to see them put that on the list."

Caradoc snorted and said, "Sirius Black-Largest Oak Tree, Front of Ms. Beatrice Tannebaum's house, No. 7 Wilkshire Lane."

"No. 7, Wilkshire Lane you say?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow and scribbling the address on the back of his slender hand wincing as he nicked himself with the quill-tip. "I'll have to keep that in mind for when I move out of my parent's house."

Remus rolled his eyes, surprised that Mary was giggling and got out his wand. "So matches into needles, care to demonstrate, Sirius?" he asked as a way of reining his friend in.

"Oh, right," he said, digging in his pants pocket for his own wand. "Oi, wasn't Lily supposed to be coming too?" he asked, looking up.

"Here we are!" she said brightly, ignoring the shushing from the eccentric librarian, a red-faced Alice in tow.

"She made us run all the way down here _with_ our bags!" Alice said at Remus confused look.

He grinned, nodding understandingly. "I did that too, only I had Sirius' bag with me too, lazybones wouldn't leave breakfast."

Sirius put his hands on his hips and stared haughtily over at Remus. "D'you want me to do this or not?"

"Oh yes of course," Remus said, inclining his head, allowing Sirius to take the lead, still smiling.

"Everyone got their matches?" Sirius asked, waiting for them all to nod before he continued. "Now point the wand at the match like so," he said, jabbing his wand at a match he'd nicked from Transfiguration. "And envision a needle. I envisioned myself _doing_ something with the needle…but I think we all remember how well that turned out," he said, chuckling.

"So on three?" he asked, grey eyes darting around to each of them. "Alright. 1…2…3!"

Each first year shut their eyes and jabbed their wands at the needle.

"Now let's see," he added, bidding each of them to hold up their match/needle for him to check. "Very good, Lily, Alice. Caradoc…your needle is still match colored. And Mary, that is a very attractive match," he said smiling at her and her silver colored match.

They tried it a few times more with Lily and Alice eventually giving up on practicing to watch how the others were faring. Before long, however, James and Peter showed up with Frank to see where everyone was at, and Lily immediately made to leave.

"Oh come on, Lils. Let's just stay and watch them do it, huh? Just once?" she added at Lily's unhappy nod.

"Oh alright, Alice; but just once!"

"On three then, boys," Sirius said, not exactly thrilled that James had shown up. Mary, who had been coming along so well, looked positively frightened at the prospect of having to perform in front of even more people. "1…2…3!"

He snuck a quick peek at Mary's match and saw that it was still a match, a dull wood match with a striking head that was painfully normal and, struck with a sudden idea, switched hers with his needle and pocketed the match. "Aannd…open!"

"Oh I did it! I did it, look Sirius, it's a needle! A real one this time!" she cried, thrilled.

As the others began to congratulate her, a loud roar broke through their small party and Sirius shouted, "RUN FOR IT!" as books began to fly off the shelves and beat them over the heads.

Grabbing up his bag, Sirius shooed the others out in front of him, swinging his schoolbag at the books, knocking them out of the air.

"YOU!" a voice shrieked and he looked down the narrow corridor of bookshelves and saw Madam Pince standing on her chair, wand held high and looking quite upset. "THIS IS A LIBRARY, NOT A CIRCUS!" she screamed, which really made no sense to him seeing as she was making just about twice as much noise as they had-and she was a one woman show!

"Sirius!" Remus called from behind the library door and Caradoc pushed open the door as James reached in a pulled Sirius out just as a slew of books slammed against the door, slamming it closed.

"Someone ought to do something about that woman," Caradoc said, shaking his head.

"She's mental, that one."

"I made a needle!" Mary said, excited.

"Really, Mary dear you didn't make it-" Lily winced as Sirius dropped his bag on her foot. "The correct term is conjuring," she finished, shooting him an angry look.

As the rest of the group resumed congratulating Mary, Lily cornered Sirius.

"That wasn't very nice of you, Black," she said, shaking a finger at him.

"Well you were going to tell her!"

"I don't mean my foot," she said, hopping up and down as she stamped her sore foot in frustration. "I mean what you did to Mary! What is she going to do now when she can't do it in class on Monday?" Lily demanded, surprised at the smile that drifted across Sirius' face.

"How do you know she won't be able to do it?" he asked coolly, looking past her to Mary's happy face. "Maybe all she needs is a little bit of confidence."

"Ye-but-What if that doesn't-"

"Be seeing you, Evans," Sirius said, shouldering his bag and patting Mary on the arm as he walked past. "Well done, Mary!" he said encouragingly as he headed outside to enjoy what was left of the day.

Remus followed him with his eyes, frowning softly. He hoped that Sirius' instincts about Mary were right…that she wouldn't get hurt because of his little trick.


	12. Friends?

_Author's Note: Sorry about not getting a chapter up yesterday everyone; it was raining pretty much all day and everything I tried to write came out terribly depressing._

_Maddiegirl- Thank you for the review, I'm just happy that I don't think too many of my 'the the' typos are coming out into the published version. I start typing and then think about things for a bit and pick up right back on the same word. :D_

_And Saffygirl- Don't worry, James and Sirius won't feud forever. :)_

_--_

"Hey Remus?" James called softly, his voice breaking the relative silence of their dormitory. He didn't really expect an answer, but there was something on his mind and he felt like Remus was the best person to go to.

Remus, on the other hand, had been lying awake behind the scarlet curtains that shielded his four-poster from the rest of the room battling with a secret he knew he could never share with anyone in the room. Shaken from yet another attempt at formulating a reasonable sounding excuse for his absence from school that would start tomorrow evening, he sighed and pulled back the curtains, looking across the aisle to James' bed. "Yes, James?"

"Oh, you're still awake then?" he asked, settling his glasses on the bridge of his nose and tugging back the curtains, revealing a rather tired-looking Remus who was staring at him expectantly. "Well I was just wondering…Mary didn't conjure up that needle all on her own, did she?" he asked, expecting Remus to deny it.

But instead the other boy shook his head. "No, she didn't James."

"But who-?"

"Sirius. When you three showed up, he saw how flustered she was getting and just wanted to give her a boost of confidence, I guess."

"But what if she can't make one in class on Monday?" James asked, shooting a glance at the gently snoring figure in the bed next to Remus.

In the half-light that poured in from the window, illuminating their room, it was hard for James to see how anyone could be angry with Sirius. His face was peaceful and his dark curls hung loosely about his face. He looked so happy, much happier than James had ever seen him awake, and the boy sighed. Why did Sirius have to be so difficult, he caught himself wondering for what had to be the eighteenth time in two days.

"That will be his burden," Remus said softly, he too was gazing at Sirius who twitched in his sleep, rolling over as he grunted something about muffins. Remus chuckled, turning his attention back to James as he muttered, "Always thinking about food, isn't he?"

James nodded, smiling sadly. "Hopefully it won't come to that," he said softly, noticing Remus nodding in agreement.

"I think he believes that Mary can do it if she just relaxes, but she can get so flustered it's hard for her to do that. One little failure or difference and she clams up. So maybe if she thinks she's already done it…she'll actually be able to do it. At least I think that's what he's going for."

"So you don't think he did it to make her fail on purpose?" James asked, voicing his other issue.

Remus looked over at the other boy sternly. "No matter what you may think of Sirius, I don't think he'd intentionally hurt someone he cares for. Whether he knows he does or not," he added, recalling how closed his new friend could be.

"Yeah well he hit me with that pillow rather hard," James muttered, suddenly interested in a crack in the stonework that was going up the windowsill.

"Really, James, a _pillow?_ Is that all you're mad about?"

"No," James said hesitantly. "I'm mad that he can't seem to apologize when he's been out of line. He practically drenched Peter in porridge when all I was trying to do was cheer him up."

"For one thing, James…I think Sirius was so upset at that point that he didn't even notice he'd hit Peter with anything and did you ever stop and think that maybe cheering up wasn't what he needed?"

James shot Remus a surprised glance. Not need cheering up? No, that thought hadn't occurred to him at all. After all, everyone needs cheering up when they're upset, right?

"Sometimes people just need to get glad in the same shoes they got mad in," Remus said simply, sliding back under the warm covers.

James chuckled a bit at that phrase. "Where'd you get that from, Remus, a biscuit box?"

"My mother," he said tartly and shut his eyes, practically begging for sleep. It was hard to be peeved at someone who was feeling just as awake as you were.

"Oh." James suddenly caught himself wondering if _his_ mother had said anything like that. He tended to ignore her when she got to talking like that. _You're too patient, Remus_, James thought, disbelievingly as he gently tugged his glasses from his face and set them back on his nightstand. Blinking to readjust his eyes, he smiled at the scarlet blur directly in front of him and said, "G'night Remus."

"Good night, James," Remus whispered back, finally drifting off into an uneasily sleep.

--

Weirdly, Sirius Black was the first to rise in the morning. "Oi, why didn't anyone wake me up?" he asked as he blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes, surprised to see Remus still in bed. _Well isn't this interesting?_ he thought, a mischievous glint entering his grey eyes as he began rummaging in his bag for a quill.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Remus asked, looking down at Sirius over the edge of his bed.

"Oh sorry, didn't wake you did I, mate?" Sirius asked as he shook the feather in his hand, apparently satisfied as the tip wiggled alarmingly.

Remus shook his head and sighed. "No, I've been up for a while. Couldn't sleep," he added rolling back over to stare at the ceiling.

"Well this should liven you up," Sirius said cheerily as he slunk over to James' bed and leaned over him, shaking the long wispy feather of the quill just before his nose.

The boy sneezed and his hazel eyes opened groggily. With a small start, James was aware of something bending over him and reached for his glasses. But as soon as he got them on, Sirius had dropped down below the bed and James, confused, leaned over the side to see where the thing had disappeared to and caught a faceful of feather as Sirius shook it in his face, laughing.

"Haha! Got you, Potter!" Sirius said grinning as he stared up at James from the stone floor.

"Why you!" James rolled out of bed and onto the other boy whose eyes widened a bit as he saw the small boy descending upon him. But he was unable to move, laughing as hard as he was.

"Gerroff!" Sirius muttered, pushing the smaller boy off of him, both panting on the cool stones. Sirius had gotten the wind knocked out of him but he pushed himself to his feet, casting a disapproving look at James. This falling on top of him thing needed to stop, he decided as he shook Peter and Frank awake.

"Where's Remus?"

"Oh I got up first," Sirius said in response to the question. "So I get to be the bearer of bad tidings," he added, shooting an unhappy glance at the clock. "We're almost late to breakfast."

The other boys laughed. Sirius really did always think of his stomach, didn't he?

"That what woke you up, Sirius?"

"What?" he asked, as he pulled on a pair of jeans, dressing quickly.

"Oh just that it's already been, what, 12 hours since you last ate?"

Sirius clutched the bedpost for support. "Don't remind me," he said, weakly.

The dorm was filled with laughter as the other boys, except Remus, began getting dressed as well.

As Sirius slipped his black loafers on, he cast a glance over at Remus. "Remus…I don't need to wave a feather in your face do I?"

"No, you guys head on down…I think I'll try and catch up on some sleep."

"Oh, alright." Sirius looked a little crestfallen and James sighed.

"Oh come on, you," he said tugging gently on Sirius' arm. "We'll bring you back something to eat, Remus. Providing Sirius doesn't eat it all that is," he added trying to bring a smile to the two boy's faces.

"That's right, mate. They won't be able to say we let our friends starve!" Sirius said happily latching onto James' idea as they headed down and out onto the Grand Staircase.

"You lot got your essays finished?" Sirius asked placing a hand lightly as the staircase shuddered under his feet.

Peter squeaked and hugged the railing while Frank and James just sat down to enjoy the ride-hopeful that the staircase would deliver them to the First Floor.

James shook his head, bidding the tall boy to take a seat on the stair beside him. "Nah, we spent the day exploring the grounds, for the most part."

Sirius nodded as he walked up the flight of stairs to sit next to James, ignoring Peter's terrified squeaks at his decision. "Oh lighten up, Peter," he muttered irritably. "Yeah, I did a bit of exploring after that session in the library. That big tree by the lake is 

perfect for climbing," he added with a small smile. That was yet another thing he'd never been able to do at home. How could you when your mother made you dress like you were ninety and threatened to hex you if you got dirt on your clothes?

"Really?" James asked, surprised that they hadn't thought of trying it out. "Good spot mate," he said, flashing Sirius a small smile. "About the library-that was wicked how you let that mental librarian have it, smashing up her books like that. Kind of wish I'd thought of that too," he added softly.

Sirius grinned. "Just following my instincts," he said trying to downplay his actions. "Would've shoved you back out the door anyhow though," he added with a small chuckle.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked, though grateful for Remus' thoughts on the subject, he really felt as though he needed to hear it from Sirius. Remus was right; he really didn't understand what went on in that closed head of his.

"Well I didn't want the mad librarian to massacre all of you," he said with a small snort.

"No I don't mean that, I mean with Mary-"

"Have you been talking to Evans?" Sirius asked sharply, anger tainting the edges of his voice.

"N-no." Not that James didn't _want_ to talk to her…she just always managed to get out of sight before he could start a proper conversation. "I was wondering and then Remus and I talked about it last night and-"

"_Remus_ told you?" Sirius looked hurt and James winced…that wasn't quite what he meant.

"No…no I figured it out and _asked_ Remus about it."

"Oh." Sirius seemed to settle down a bit after that. "She just needs a bit of confidence, that's all," he said with a dismissive flick of his hand.

"You're sure about that?" James asked him, hazel eyes determinedly holding his grey.

"Of course! She was doing perfectly fine before you three came in and messed up her rhythm. I _know_ she had it but she just doesn't perform well under pressure, generally speaking. So I…stepped in."

The stairs docked, thankfully, at the first floor landing and Sirius smiled, pointing off down the hall where Mary was chattering excitedly to a group of first year Hufflepuffs as they walked in to breakfast. "Look-see how happy she is?" he asked, a satisfied smile on his face as he grabbed his bag and headed off down after them.

"What will you do if she fails?" James asked, calling as he headed down the stairs after him.

Sirius turned and allowed James to catch up to him. Leaning in close, he growled, "She won't. And if she does…I'll just have to tell her," he added resignedly.

"So you're banking on her getting it right?"

"Basically," he said, beaming. "Like I said before, James, I know she can do it."

"Right. Hold up, Sirius," he added, looking back to see Frank struggling to detach Peter from the banister.

"You'd think he'd get used to that," Sirius said, sighing exasperatedly.

"Well it is only our third day," James said, coming to Peter's defense.

"True," Sirius said waiting until Peter and Frank were heading their way before he headed off to breakfast, disappearing into the Great Hall.

_Impatient, isn't he?_ James thought with a small sigh as he lead Frank and Peter into the Great Hall for breakfast. Sitting with Sirius, Frank and Peter were surprised at how much he and James could put away.

"Save some for Remus, guys," Frank said, jokingly.

"Oh right!" Sirius said, showering him with bits of half-chewed toast and began shoving pieces of buttered bread into his schoolbag.

"Mr. Black, dare I ask what you are doing?" A stern voice said and Sirius hastily zipped his bag closed, smiling winningly up into Professor McGonagall's face.

"Well Remus was feeling a bit under-the-weather, so James suggested that we bring him up some breakfast."

To his, as well as James' surprise, Professor McGonagall nodded, her expression softening instantly. Of course the poor boy was feeling under the weather, today being what it was. With a flick of her formidable wand hand, a delicately wrapped parcel appeared on the table before him. "Take that up to him. I'm sure it's a much better rounded breakfast than a few pieces of toast."

As Sirius began pulling the toast back out of his bag, he sniffed the parcel. "That smells delicious, Professor!"

"Now about your detentions-" she began, settling back into teacher mode.

James and Sirius shared a look, they'd forgotten all about their detentions from the little scene at breakfast two days previous. James pushed away his porridge, half-finished, to stare at her.

"Your _detentions_," she continued, gazing severely at both of them. "Have been moved to tonight in light of certain conflicts; instead of spending the time cleaning out my menagerie, the two of you will spend some time polishing trophies in the Trophy Room with Mr. Filch." She overlooked the horrified glances they cast at one another and continued, "I believe that a good lesson in hard work and cleaning should give you a taste of what it would have been like for Mr. Filch had Mr. Black decided to respond in kind to your flinging of porridge, Mr. Potter."

James winced. How much thought did this woman put into her punishments?

"You will meet Mr. Filch on the third floor landing at six o'clock. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, boys," she added, smiling at Frank and Peter.

Sirius and James groaned as she withdrew, heading back toward the staff table at the front of the Great Hall.

"The Trophy Room?" Sirius said, disbelievingly. "I bet there're hundreds of bloody trophies in there."

"Got that right, mate. We'll be trapped in there forever!"

"Maybe you shouldn't get in trouble then if you can't handle it!" A voice said rather snobbishly from up the table and James caught a good look at Lily Evans who stared at them a moment longer before she picked up her things and left the Great Hall.

"Oi, if we'd wanted your opinion, Evans, we would've _asked_!" Sirius called rather loudly after her. "Hmm, best get this back up to Remus before it spoils," he added, poking the floral bundle with a long finger.

_--_

_End Note: I'm really thinking about starting the next day off with Snape as the main. Yep, I'm gonna suck up all that Gryffindor Pride and try and stick it in a closet for the next few chapters. :D_

_Maybe it'll be more like a recap, actually. More like Snape's PoV/feelings on what's been happening. It probably wouldn't be more than two (maybe three chapters if I allow him to start the next day) it'll be…fun…for me, I think. Thoughts?_


	13. Trophies and Tunnels

_Author's Note: M__ajor apologies for the delay…school started last Wednesday and I've been having a hard time finding a spare moment to type (or sleep) amongst all the studying, homework, and time otherwise spend at school. So I really only have the time for typing on the weekends. I'm writing when I get a free moment, but the type-time is hard to come by._

_--_

"Remus!" Sirius called, flinging wide the dormitory door, a huge smile on his face as he put the parcel on his friend's nightstand.

"What is that?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow at the floral print.

"McGonagall sent it," Sirius said dismissively, flinging himself onto his own bed to watch Remus unwrap his breakfast. "Smells good anyhow," he added as Remus pulled out a toasty sandwich with eggs and bacon as well as little sausages. "Wow, she must really like you!" he said, grinning. That food looked much better than their usual breakfast fare. Not that the food they'd been eating hadn't been spectacular, he patted his tum satisfactorily.

--

As it turned out, James still hadn't done his essay yet and figured that he'd be hard-pressed getting his done _and_ helping Peter and Frank do theirs-well mostly Peter.

So Sirius, who had been contemplating a book-free Sunday afternoon, was somewhat unhappy with his and Rums' decision to help out their fellow first years.

_Then again_, he thought with a small smile, _I'd been in the same predicament if Remus hadn't practically chained me to the library._

Much like the day before their time spent studying, though this time they were in the Gryffindor Common Room, passed rather quickly and they would have forgotten to go down to lunch if it hadn't been for the loud rumblings of Peter's stomach.

At first James had just thought it was a furnace until Remus pointed out that there _were_ no furnaces at Hogwarts seeing as it was a piece of muggle machinery.

This caused James to blush. "My Dad," he muttered, running a hand through his spiky black hair along with something that sounded much like 'obsessed'.

A timid movement on James' left attracted Sirius attention and he grinned as his grey eyes took in Peter's steadily reddening face. "What d'you keep in there, Peter?" he asked, chuckling at the even deeper reddish color the boy's face became. "Well boys," he added, setting his quill down on the tabletop as he scooted away from it. "Perhaps a lunch break is in order, eh?" he asked, looking around the table.

The other boys nodded in agreement and Sirius leapt from his seat and glided smoothly into the lead beside James as they headed town to lunch.

The five, unfortunately had to walk all the way down to the Great Hall, unsurprised that it was already emptying out for the afternoon. They were rather late after all. What _was_ surprising was that very soon after they sat down, Professor McGonagall approached them.

"It wasn't us, Professor. Cross me 'eart!" Sirius protested around a corned beef sandwich at the severe look on her face.

McGonagall arched a severe eyebrow at him and then sighed deeply, resuming her cool facial expression. "I merely came to inquire about the breakfast I sent up to Mr. Lupin this morning."

"Oh!" Remus said, looking up from his small lunch and smiling at her. "It was delicious, thank you."

"I'm glad you like it. I'm sure it had nothing on the house elves' cooking, but I do try," she added, beaming at him before she walked back to rejoin the staff at their table.

James and Sirius exchanged a look.

"How d'you do that, mate?" Sirius asked, staring at Remus with something close to awe in his face.

"I could've sworn she was going to give another detention!"

"For what? Walking into lunch late?" Remus asked incredulously. "I don't know," he added, shrugging in response to Sirius' question. "I'm polite…could that have something to do with it?"

As the rest of the boys laughed at Sirius, he merely frowned before letting out a loud bark-like laugh, clapping his friend on the back. "Smart, Remus!" he said, grinning.

They were able to get some solid practice in Transfiguration, which Peter still sorely needed. But before it was time to go to dinner, Sirius threw up his hands in frustration and stalked off to practice throwing things at James from across the room using the Levitation Charm.

"S-sorry!" Peter squeaked as his match burst into flame after he'd had to duck out of the way of a rather large dictionary that James had just deflected.

"Not a problem," Remus said gently, casting a disapproving look at the two other boys as he put out the burning match. Frank had disappeared almost as soon as they had gotten back and had yet to return.

But even after Sirius and James had taken the hint, Peter's casting had barely improved that eventually Remus was forced to demand that they take a break for the sake of his sanity.

_Perhaps Sirius should get Peter too_, Remus thought as they left the Common Room to head down to dinner.

"There you two hoodlums are," a gravelly voice said just behind them.

The four boys spun around, Sirius at the rear with his wand pointed at their assailant.

"You'll be putting that away, Mr. Black," the thin caretaker said as he stepped out of the shadows with two greasy napkins in his outstretched hand.

"Got these for you," he added, shaking the parcels at them. "I'm to take you and Mr. Potter to the Trophy Room directly."

Cursing his bad luck under his breath, Sirius pocketed his wand and made to follow the ill-tempered man, James following quickly behind them.

"See you two later," Sirius muttered unhappily, waving a hand in their direction.

The walk to the Trophy Room was much longer than he had expected and the sandwiches were greasy strips of cold chicken that Sirius merely picked at on their way down…unsure whether it was safe to trust anything from Mr. Filch.

James, on the other hand, devoured his sandwich as if it was the best thing he'd seen in a week and Sirius rolled his eyes as the other boy licked his fingers.

"And of course I have to babysit you brats. I have an entire castle to look after and you whelps go and land yourself into trouble…who d'you think has to watch you, eh?"

"Apparently you do, sir," Sirius said, pitching his voice just loud enough that the man could hear them.

"Eh?" he grunted, fixing Sirius with a beady stare…apparently he wasn't aware he had been speaking aloud.

Sirius shrugged and Filch turned around, apparently satisfied. "Almost as bad as Peeves they are," he muttered, his hand clenching at his side. "'Course I'd string em up by their thumbs and give em such a lashing-Ooh yes, precious," he added, his musing cut short by the appearance of a squat cat.

James rotated a slender finger counterclockwise beside his ear and mouthed 'Mental'. He and Sirius dissolved into laughter that lasted the remainder of the way to the Trophy Room.

"Dunno what's so bloody funny," the man muttered as he handed them two rags and a bottle of polish. "Take these," he said his voice louder and his beady eyes now fixed on them. "And start on the far shelf."

Looking down the length of the room, Sirius winced, it was much bigger than he had expected and he shared a disbelieving look with James.

"Well," the other boy said with a small sigh as he began to pick his way around the dully shining cups and plaques that littered the ground. "No time like the presence, I suppose."

"Right," Sirius said, resigned, as he followed after his detention partner liberally applying polish to his rag as he walked.

--

"Remus-it's time to go," a voice said kindly from right in front of him.

Remus Lupin twitched, peeking over his book to see Professor McGonagall standing in front of him and he cast a nervous glance toward the window where the sun was clearly visible.

"Remus?" Frank whispered questioningly.

"Oh it-it's my mother," he said quickly, incredibly glad that James and Sirius weren't there to hear this. "She's….sick."

Peter looked rather upset at this and Remus experienced a sudden feeling of guilt. It wasn't that he was comfortable lying, but if they knew the truth-that thought pushed him past all his reservations and he continued, "Professor Dumbledore has arranged for my father to pick me up near the village."

He set the book, Careful Countercharms for the Cautious Contemporary Witch or Wizard on the table and rose from the chair. "Shall we go Professor?"

"Yes," McGonagall said, nodding, "Your-erm-father is waiting for you, Remus." And with a gentle swish of her emerald cloak, she had crossed the common room and was already headed out of the Portrait Hole before Remus, with one last look at the worried expressions on his friends' faces, followed after her.

--

"Bloody trophies."

"Oh now Sirius, we should be looking at this as an example of how hard certain of our fellow Hogwartians-hey I like that-Hogwartians," James muttered, absentmindedly stroking an order of Merlin, 1st Class, with a polish-soaked rag.

"A distraction unto yourself, mate," Sirius said grinning, as he reached for yet another tarnished plaque.

"What?" James asked, shaking his head to clear it.

Sirius chuckled. "Oh nothing," he said as he reached for another, replacing the one he'd finished, admiring its' brassy glow.

"Oi! This one's got your name on it," James said, suddenly reading the name on the medallion. "Well last anyhow," he added as Sirius pulled it out of his grasp, passing him the quidditch plaque.

"Oh him," Sirius said, tossing the Order of Merlin back onto a shelf in such a way that Mr. Filch, who had been teasing his cat, Mrs. Fink, with tidbits of smoked fish, glared at their backs and clucked, "Nasty children, we'll have to keep an eye on them won't we, precious?"

Mrs. Fink, an elderly tabby cat with only one good eye, mewed in apparent agreement, her tail swishing from side to side as she fixed her singular golden eye upon them.

"Sirius…someone in your family has an Order of _Merlin_. That's a big deal."

Sirius frowned and rose quickly, descending upon the contents of their second-to-last rack of dusty old trophies, wondering what time it was. "That man, Phineas Nigellus Black, is a downright cad."

"You know him?" James asked, reaching up to check the dates on the medal.

"Unfortunately, yes. He inhabits one of the frames in my parent's house. Luckily he is too busy darkening the Headmaster's office most days. My dear Great Great Grandfather was the most unpopular Head in Hogwarts History," he said, feverishly polishing any trophy within reach. "I'm quite proud," he added, rolling his eyes.

"Dear, dear," a low voice drawled from the corner. "Looks like you boys will have some more cleaning to do tomorrow night. Professor asked me to get you lot back up to your Common Room before it got to be too late." The grouchy caretaker shook back the left sleeve of his battered and moldy old trench coat and sighed, smacking at a small round device on his wrist. "Always running behind, aren't we precious?" he asked, a softness coming into his voice as the cat ran its' silky body across his leg, purring.

At a polite cough from Sirius, Mr. Filch's head snapped up and he quickly slid the coat sleeve back over his thin wrist, frowning. "Nasty children," he muttered under his breath and then turned his back to them both as he headed for the door. "Well come on then, we'll have to take the long way. Don't need no meddling youngsters gallivanting around my short-cuts, I don't."

James and Sirius shared a look. Short-cuts? The two of them immediately knew what was on the agenda. Neither one had been absolutely sure that the rumors some of the older students had been more than happy to swap with their younger housemates were true; that the castle was littered with secret passageways and tricks (to keep your brain sharp was the popular theory). But now that an adult had actually _confirmed_ the existence of said passageways, who was to say that the two of them couldn't find them?

_Absolutely no one_, Sirius thought, a small smile creeping into his grey eyes as he chucked the rag into the Trophy Room just before the door slammed smartly shut behind them.

--

"And you're sure you're alright with this, dear?" Madam Pompfrey asked as both he and Professor McGonagall walked alongside her on their way to the Whomping Willow.

Remus nodded his eyes not on her face, but on the scarlet glow that was quickly disappearing below the horizon. It was that moment that he feared at the moment, almost as much as he feared his transformations the rest of the month.

"Really Poppy!" McGonagall said, shaking her head. "If you had had a better idea of what to do with him that would have been useful to hear before it became an issue!"

_Issue_. Remus winced. Now he was an 'issue'. _That was nice of her_, he thought dryly, immediately regretting it. She didn't mean to be insensitive, he decided, she was probably just as worried about getting him below as she was getting away from him and the rapidly disappearing sun was probably not doing her nerves any good either. As if in response to these conclusions, he sped up and reached the outer perimeter of the swaying branches several paces ahead of his guardians.

"I suppose you want to be getting down there?" McGonagall said, almost conversationally, as she gestured toward the tunnel barely visible from their spot just outside of the tree's danger zone. Whether it was unconscious or no, Remus noticed that his Head of House was avoiding his gaze and had instead occupied herself with looking for a stick on the ground. "Stick…stick…where is? Dumbledore said it would be-Oh thank you Remus!" she added, patting him absentmindedly on the head with a bony hand as she accepted the long stave-like branch that he passed her.

Jabbing the tree with it, she smiled, looking visibly more relaxed as it froze. "Down you go, dear." At his hesitation, she met his eyes and made an encouraging gesture with her occupied hand, nearly smacking the Matron with it.

A small grin sliding onto his features, Remus slipped into the damp tunnel and began to follow it away from the school, feeling much better about the whole ordeal.

"Are you coming down with me tonight, Poppy?"

"I think it best, Minerva," Madam Pompfrey replied, eyeing the stick in the Professor's hand. "After all, if I'm in charge of reclaiming the boy in the morning, I should probably know where he's going to be."

McGonagall nodded, noticing the sense in her colleague's words. "I suppose so, Poppy. Are you quite sure you will not need my assistance collecting him in the morning?"

Madam Pompfrey shook her head. "No, I don't doubt I can manage a sleep-deprived eleven year old," she said, trying to smile.

"Right," McGonagall nodded briskly and shot one more nervous glance at the horizon before descending into the tunnel with Madam Pompfrey just behind her.

The journey was dark and damp yet the tunnel had a feeling of newness about it that seemed incredibly out of place. But what was odder still was where the tunnel emerged; onto the first floor of a two story house, just to the right of the stairs. Though a fine layer of dust covered the furniture, neither the pieces nor rooms were in terribly bad shape. Patting the dust off of a couch cushion, he sat down and began to observe his surroundings, as well as the fading light, with increasingly worried eyes.

"Remus?"

The boy nearly fell out of the couch in surprise, so overcome by his anxiety over the coming transformation; he had forgotten that Professor McGonagall and Madam Pompfrey were following him. "Hmm?" he asked, cocking his head.

"Madam Pompfrey will collect you here every morning, alright?" A ghostly blue glow had settled on the house giving its' dusty contents a silvery halo.

Remus nodded conscious of the familiar tingling feeling in his toes and fingertips. _Go now?_ he pleaded silently.

"You're to be excused from exams and class work until you're…better. Remus?!" McGonagall said sharply. His whole body had begun to quiver and he could feel the beginnings of the pain that was to come.

"GO!" he shouted but it came out as more of a snarl as he lurched from the couch, hating the look of fear in their eyes and hoping that they would run before it was too late.

"Remus," Madam Pompfrey whispered softly, stepping toward him. It broke her heart to see anyone in pain and this boy needed her help if anyone did but-"Minerva!" She looked over at the Professor, shocked, as the other woman's hands closed on her wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Behind me, Poppy," she whispered, her voice cold.

Catching her eyes, Madam Pompfrey squeaked fearfully and retreated behind the other woman, trying to ignore the groans of pain from the small boy in the room just beyond.

Hastily, Professor McGonagall began to retreat up the tunnel, her wand at the ready. Suddenly, the moans and groans and the sounds of ripping fabric ceased and a steady panting could be heard from the room before them.

McGonagall nodded as if that was expected. Obviously he would have to actually complete his transformation at some point…and apparently they had overstayed their welcome.

"Well curiosity _did_ kill the cat," she mumbled under her breath and then caught it as she realized the creature had to have heard her remark.

Sure enough, the sniffing sound grew nearer and a sudden howl rent the air. Madam Pompfrey squealed in fright and the wolf's great maw peeked around the edge of the entrance.

McGonagall blasted the oncoming werewolf back with a protective shielding charm, creating an effective barrier between them and the werewolf.

But the beast could still smell them and as he collided with the invisible barrier with a sickening crunch, she winced. "Now would probably be a good time to make a hasty retreat," she whispered casting one last apologetic look behind her as they disappeared speedily around a bend in the tunnel.


End file.
